Naruto's Kit 2
by brown phantom
Summary: NEW POLL! Four years have passed and Akane Uzumaki has become a ninja. Watch as she follows in her father's footsteps to become the next hokage, all while trying to keep her origins a secret and fighting the threats of her generation.
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own Naruto and this time I'm only saying that this once. No 'If I did own Naruto' this time, unless Kishimoto does something I feel I have to comment on._

_At the time this chapter was written Ch. -484- of the manga was the newest one available._

Chapter 1: Konoha's Second Generation Prankster

"Hold it right there young lady. Where do you think you're going?" An Anbu wearing a falcon mask asked a twelve year old girl walking around holding a can of red paint and a carpenter brush. Both were standing in an alley behind some buildings where no one could see them.

"Umm... I've got a D-rank mission to paint a guy's house." The girl weakly answered.

Falcon didn't buy it. "One, missions are for ninja and you're not even out of the academy yet. Two, you'd need more than one can of paint for a house. And three, you wouldn't be trying to sneak around for a job like that. You're going to have to come up with something much better than that to get out of this one."

"Okay then. Catch!" The girl said as she tossed the paint can towards the Anbu and turned around to run.

Acting on instinct, Falcon caught the can only to find the lid was loose and the contents spilled all over the front of his uniform. When he tried to glare at her he saw she had vanished. "Why that little...! Hokage-sama's definitely gonna hear about this."

Another Anbu, a woman wearing a panda mask, arrived on the scene and saw the involuntary paint job. "What happened to you?"

"I ran across the Uzumaki girl. That's what."

"Yes!" Panda exclaimed while pumping her fist. "I win the pool! Thanks." Nowadays, the Anbu had a betting pool where they took bets on who the first victim of the day would be because of an Uzumaki prank.

"No problemo." Falcon said sarcastically. "I can't believe you'd actually bet on me."

"Well who'd you bet on?"

"Didn't today. Now why don't you go get her before she does more damage?"

Panda checked her watch. "No need. She should be heading towards the academy right now. And she'd never be late for that."

* * *

The bell rang and every student took a seat. Iruka's eyes panned the room and saw a red flash make it with one second to spare. 'Girl likes to cut it close.'

The girl he referenced just then was none other than Akane Uzumaki, daughter to Naruto Uzumaki in all ways but blood. And boy did she take after her father, a little too much considering that he didn't sire her, and four years had done little to change that. She had his love for ramen and pranking, dislike of perverts and vegetables, and even wore a red version of his old clothes regularly to school. Luckily she dressed more normally outside class, but inside class it was always that red-and-black jumpsuit. When asked why she wore it, she just said she felt right in it, even if others considered it an eyesore. When asked where she got it from, she said her grandmother gave it to her as a gift for beating a bad person, giving no more details than that.

Clothes aside, there was actually very little to dislike about the girl. Akane was quite charming and had wormed her way into the hearts of many in Konoha. Mostly those close to Naruto, but that was a good thing. Because of that, she was possibly the most educated out of all the genin in the class because of her voluntary tutors. The teachers here wouldn't dare think to set her up for failure like they did Naruto years ago, so she got a fair education, along with family friends wanting to confirm she learned as much as she could. And like Naruto, she was a sponge when taught the proper way to do something. Thus unlike her father, she was the Rookie of the Year.

"Welcome class for another day. You're all very close to becoming full-fledged genin. Today we're going to do your graduation test to see who here is ready to become genin now and who isn't. We'll start with a written test and then a physical skills test."

"Didn't we already have a physical?" A random boy in class asked, remembering a medic nin examining him in his underwear and not feeling comfortable about it.

"That was to check your health. This one will check how you perform the manual labor of a ninja lifestyle. Now, we'll start the written test in a few minutes, so get everything but a pencil put away and sit quietly. And good luck all of you." Iruka told them as another chuunin instructor came in with a stack of papers to hand out. He caught a glimpse of Akane quietly groaning and rolling her head back in annoyance, and smirked as he remembered Naruto doing the same long ago.

* * *

The written test and the physical skills test were completed much later and now the students hung out in the field around the building, waiting while the teachers went over their scores. Most passed the time in their own ways, some practicing their skills some more or lounging. Akane was one of the loungers, but she relaxed by swinging on the swing Naruto always went to when he was troubled when younger. And she was enjoying it, until a young girl with brown hair in a long pigtail and a light green dress walked up to her. "What do you want, Sayo-san?"

"Isn't playing on a swing kiddish for someone your age?" The girl named Sayo asked condensendingly. Ever since they met, these two girls never really got along. Sakura who saw them once likened them to a younger herself and a classmate named Ami Akane never met.

"I'm on break so I can do what I want." Akane replied, never slowing her swinging. "Besides, got any better ideas genius?"

The pigtailed girl pointed to some boys working on target practice. "Yeah, like honing your skills. That's what good shinobi do when they aren't working."

"Well it's not going to change the test scores so does it matter if I don't practice more now?" The redhead asked. "Besides, Baa-chan says there's nothing wrong with taking a break from it all once in a while and even a kage needs a day off now and then."

Sayo then had a menacing, unwelcome smirk on her face. "You've never taken this seriously like the rest of us have. I bet even with all that extra help you get after school you won't make genin. And if you do, that'll just be because your father spoils you."

Akane came to a stop and glared at her schoolyard adversary of about four years. "Shove it Sayo. You wouldn't last two minutes in a serious fight against me."

Sayo got into a basic stance. "Care to put your ryo where your mouth is?"

'No but I know where I'd like to put my foot.' Akane hostilely thought, then shrugged and started to swing again. "Naw, got nothing to prove and nothing to gain."

"Coward."

Akane gave her a dry look. "You didn't actually think that would change my mind, did you? How petty do you think I am?" Luckily one of the traits she acquired from her adoptive mother, Hinata Uzumaki, was temper control. Akane did have some of Hinata's characteristics, like flexibility and occasional shyness, but they weren't as natural to her as the traits she acquired from Naruto.

Sayo huffed and just walked away irritated. Akane shrugged it off and continued swinging in peace. She sensed someone approach from behind but she didn't get bothered. This newcomer was welcome any day. "Hi Shiba-chan, how ya holding up?" She asked without bothering to turn around.

Shiba sat down on the swing next to her friend but stayed still. "I'm fine. Just thought I'd say hi." Now twelve years old too, the shy Inuzuka girl hadn't changed much physically. She still wore her hair in the same long ponytail, but her bangs had a little more lift in them. She still preferred to wear a dark men's kimono, but wore more feminine garb underneath that couldn't be seen easily. Her sword with the blue fox handle was still at her hip and her two animal partners hadn't grown much, since Inuzuka canines lived longer than normal ones and grew at rates more appropriate for their human partners. All in all, there was little difference between Shiba's current appearance and how she looked when she first met Akane. The only obvious differences were the different decorative patterns on her kimono and the obvious growth of her bust, which just about matched Akane's own size and Hinata's at that age.

"Thanks. After encountering you-know-who I needed that." Akane stated. "Any idea who you're going to be paired up with?"

Shiba looked over several of the boys in the area. "Well, that's not up to me." She started rubbing her knuckles together, a sign Akane recognized that meant she was either uncomfortable or embarrassed.

"Hey, if you're lucky, _he'll_ be on your team." The redhead suggested/lightly teased, knowing it would spark something in her best friend.

It worked like a charm, since the Inuzuka girl's eyes gained a hopeful glimmer at the implied prospect. "Y... you think?" Akane nodded with a grin. "Hey, maybe that boy you know will be partnered with you too then."

Akane came to a stop slowly and groaned. "Noburo-kun isn't my boyfriend Shiba-chan, I've told you that at least four hundred times."

Shiba smiled in a way Akane didn't like. "Who said anything about a boyfriend? I just said 'that boy you knew' and mentioned no names." Akane stared at her in comprehension and then loudly moaned in defeat, making Shiba giggle.

This was an old joke between the two. Akane had always been shy around a boy named Noburo Sentaka ever since a certain event that happened when they were eight. And while she kept insisting she didn't like the blue-haired boy that way, everyone loved to joke about it. And none liked to joke about it more than Shiba and Hinata. Akane did call him a friend, even though she often blushed around him or got into playful arguments with him, but everyone just saw that as a sign of her interest in him. Shiba's crush on a classmate however was obvious, except maybe to the boy she liked since he never said anything to her about it.

A minute or two later Iruka and another chuunin came out and set up a folding table with several hitai-ates set on it. All the students got anxious and closer, except for Akane who just kept swinging but kept her senses alert. Shiba didn't understand but didn't stop her friend and approached the table, staying towards the back of the crowd. Iruka held up a form and smiled at the gathered preteens. "Alright everyone, the tests have been graded and those of you that graduated are about to be announced. Remember, those of you that didn't this time can still reattend and try for next year. It doesn't mean you're terrible, but rather just not ready to be put in dangerous situations yet. To everyone who did pass, you will have a heavy burden on your shoulders to fulfill for the good of Konoha and our country. Remember, being a ninja is not all fun and games; there are some ugly parts to the job too. If there weren't, I wouldn't have this scar would I?" He thumbed his facial marking, then noticing where Akane was. "Akane-san, don't you think you ought to be a little closer?"

"I'm fine where I am sensei." She told him.

Sayo scoffed and mumbled to herself. "Hmmph. Overrated baka probably failed anyway."

Akane glared. "I heard that, flat-chest!"

Iruka cleared his throat before a fight could begin. "Alright now, I'll read off the names of those that passed and hand them their hitai-ates." He listed off several names for a bit, then mentioned Akane's name with a smile. Next thing he knew, Akane rocketed herself off her swing and landed in front of everyone, holding her hand out for her headband. "You intended that all along didn't you?"

"Guilty." She answered coyly as she accepted her headband then walked away. She didn't put it on right away, unsure if she should wear it like Naruto or Hinata did. Both seemed like good ideas to her.

Iruka smiled and finished off the names. Out of all the class, only two didn't get mentioned and would have to be held back or take up civilian lifestyles. Luckily neither were ones Akane actually knew. The kids parents came to get them all and congratulate them. Akane walked away and was greeted by Hinata, holding her three year old son named Jiraiya, who looked a lot like Naruto but had Hinata's chin and hair color, but no byakugan.

"How'd it go Akane-chan?" Hinata asked, not seeing a hitai-ate being worn.

Akane pulled it out and smiled like a fox. "I believe you owe me all the ramen I can eat Okaa-san."

"When your father gets home. Woudn't want to exclude him now would we?" Hinata told her as she proudly took her daughter's hand and led her to their home. 'Glad things are going well for you Akane-chan, because I have a feeling things might get a little tougher later on.'

* * *

_AN: To all my readers, since this story is going to be big on OCs, at the end of each chapter I'm going to be putting a little profile on each of them for your convenience, and someday a link to a picture of them on my profile. Starting next chapter though. For this one, I figured I'd tell you where most of the canon characters are standing at this point of time._

_Naruto: Rokudaime Hokage, former jinchuuriki of the kyuubi, married to Hinata, father of two, one adopted one biological_

_Sakura: Third-in-command chuunin rank medic nin, generally stays in village but available for missions in dire circumstances, dating Lee_

_Kiba: Jounin rank tracker nin/village defense who does hunter nin as side job, relationship status unknown_

_Hinata: High chuunin rank second hand to hokage and stay-at-home mother of two, married to Naruto, currently in first trimester of second pregnancy _

_Shino: Jounin rank tracking nin/village defense who's considering becoming sensei to a genin squad, relationship status unknown_

_Ino: High chuunin rank apprentice to Anko in interrogation department and low-rank medic nin, generally stays in village but regularly mission-ready, relationship status unknown_

_Shikamaru: Jounin rank village defense strategist and trusted aide to hokage, married to Temari, childless for now_

_Chouji: High chuunin rank village defense/patrol, relationship status unknown_

_Neji: Jounin rank Anbu unit codenamed Falcon, married to Tenten, father to one son_

_Tenten: Jounin rank Anbu unit codenamed Panda, married to Neji, mother to one son _

_Lee: Chuunin rank taijutsu instructor/dojo operator, offers to teach various taijutsu styles outside academy norms, dating Sakura_

_Temari: Jounin rank village liaison to Suna, resides in Konoha now, married to Shikamaru, childless for now_

_Konohamaru: New jounin rank ninja, considering becoming sensei to a genin squad or Anbu unit, dating both Moegi and Hanabi (with their permission) to see which one he feels for_

_Moegi: New jounin rank ninja, considering becoming sensei to a genin squad or Anbu unit, dating Konohamaru_

_Udon: Chuunin rank academy instructor specializing in math and strategy, generally stays in village, dating a civilian girl_

_Hanabi: New jounin rank ninja, considering becoming sensei to a genin squad before becoming Hyuuga head, dating Konohamaru_

_Kakashi: Jounin rank Anbu officer codenamed Dog, taught one genin squad once and is thinking of teaching another, no relationships_

_Kurenai: Jounin rank genjutsu specialist, stay-at-home mother, taught one genin squad and is now part-time academy instructor on genjutsu and chakra control, mother to one son, no relationships _

_Gai: Jounin rank taijutsu specialist, taught one genin squad before and is currently teaching another one, no relationships_

_Tsunade: Top rank and sannin rank chief medic nin, Godaime Hokage, retired from shinobi work except medic help, no relationships_

_Shizune: Second-in-command and jounin rank medic nin, adviser and aide to Godaime Hokage both in office and retired, relationship status unknown _

_Anko: Tokubetsu jounin rank interrogator nin, apprentice to Ibiki, available for missions but prefers interrogation work within village, dating Iruka_

_Iruka: Chuunin rank academy instructor specializing in ninja tactics and history, generally stays in village, dating Anko_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Akane Gets A Young Follower

The alarm clock went off and a fist smashed it, silencing it. The person connected to the fist rubbed their eyes and yawned before seeing if any damage had been done. "Good, it's not broken, or Okaa-san would be pissed. I just don't have her gentle touch."

Akane, not exactly a morning person, slowly sat up and scratched an itch by her hairline with her foot. Luckily no one could see her do this very animalistic habit she could never get rid of. Even after four years of living as a human, deep down Akane was still a fox demon and thus could never completely lose her true nature and instincts. She wasn't a monster; in fact she was probably one of the furthest things from it. But still, the fact that she was the newest incarnation of the infamous kyuubi no kitsune wasn't something she could just tell anyone. She wasn't even sure if she should or could tell her genin squad.

Not wanting to think about that she just got out of bed and went to the restroom to get a shower and brush her teeth. She also paused to look her body over briefly, a habit she developed after starting puberty. Hinata once told her they both had the same figure at that age, proving Akane took after her mother too. Akane responded to that by saying "Glad I won't look like Forehead-san then." Taking her eyes off the mirror, she washed up and got dried then dressed, in a red blouse and orange skirt. Akane saw she wasn't the only one awake now, since Naruto was at the kitchen table drinking some tea and looking over a few papers. "Morning Otou-san."

He looked at her and grinned. "How are you sweetheart?"

"I'm great. So, who am I going to be paired up with?"

Naruto waved his finger. "Sorry, you can't know that for a few more days like everyone else. Besides, I'm still trying to figure that out."

"Think I have enough time for some ramen?" Hinata had gone to a lot of effort to teach the girl that salty noodles were not good for every meal and definitely not a breakfast food. But Akane would never resist the chance when it came up.

"No, you don't. Have some real food." Hinata's voice told her from behind. Akane turned sheepishly to face her mother who was wearing a bathrobe and holding her son. "What _else_ would you like for breakfast dear?"

"Um... how about omelets and bacon?" Akane carefully suggested.

Hinata nodded and placed her son on the chair next to Akane. "Here, watch over your brother while I get started then." She then kissed Naruto's cheek and went to the kitchen.

"Want some help koi?" Naruto asked.

"Could you reheat the buns from last night?" Hinata asked as she pulled some eggs out of the fridge.

"Why can she have cinnamon rolls first thing but I can't have ever ramen before lunch?" Akane asked.

"It's a parent thing." Hinata answered plainly.

Akane groaned but turned to see what her little brother was up to. The young boy was named Jiraiya Uzumaki, in honor of an old man Akane never met but knew her father respected and demeaned. He was three years old, born in Naruto and Hinata's first year of marriage, and looked like them both. He had no byakugan so he would have to be taught by Naruto more than Hinata later on. And like his older sister he took a lot after his father.

Jiraiya was currently reaching curiously for the papers Naruto was holding. "Wanna see wanna see."

"Why Rai-chan? You can't read." Akane gently asked, putting a hand carefully on his outstretched arm to discourage him.

Naruto quickly gave the young boy a glimpse at what he was looking at. "Sorry son, no pictures." Jiraiya groaned and Naruto went to get the rolls Hinata had requested.

Akane ruffled Jiraiya's hair to cheer him up then stood up. "I'll go get you something you can enjoy otouto."

"Fox?" The toddler asked.

Akane sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, but no pulling the tail this time." She then transformed into a small red fox with one tail and Jiraiya happily tried to chase her. She dodged him and ran away, not truly trying to escape him but encouraging him to chase her more. This was probably the boy's favorite game, but not necessarily Akane's since he hadn't yet learned she wasn't a moving stuffed animal when in this form.

Naruto chuckled and even Hinata took a moment to watch this and smile. Jiraiya managed to grab ahold of the fox's tail and pulled to make her stop, making Akane yelp in pain too. She turned and pinned him down. "I warned you about that Rai-chan. You know what that means." Eight more tails appeared behind her, and she used them all to tickle the boy, who tried to fight her off but failed and laughed loudly. Akane didn't stop until he tugged one of her ears, so she then stepped off him and turned back to a normal girl.

"Settle down you two. Breakfast will be ready in just a bit." Hinata called out to them, encouraging both kids to return to the table.

* * *

After breakfast ended everyone went off to do their own thing. Naruto and Hinata went to the hokage office to do their job, and Akane was giving a day to relax before she got assigned to a team. She would have been asked to watch over Jiraiya, but Tsunade volunteered, allowing the young girl to go out and have fun instead.

She started with a simple stroll into town away from the former Uchiha district that now had become public domain and her family's home. Naruto and Hinata had picked a house big enough for six and were given two other neighboring houses after Sasuke's trial. They gave one to Tsunade and Shizune to live in after her retirement, and the other had been given to Neji and Tenten who wanted some leeway from the Hyuuga clan to raise their own family. The rest of the houses had been put up for sale and several were bought and inhabited now.

Having no idea where to go, and not hungry anymore, Akane just wandered aimlessly for the time being. "Hmm... what to do, what to do?" She noticed an Anbu agent take the time to look at her before going back to work. "Maybe I aughtta prank someone for those guys for now." Akane was well aware of the Anbu betting pool involving her, and that encouraged her to act more randomly in her antics. Naruto never stopped her since it encouraged her creativity and escaping skills, while encouraging Anbus to avoid nonlethal threats at the same time. As long as nothing so serious happened, everyone pretty much looked the other way to this grand prankster of Konoha.

While Akane tried to figure out who her target would be, she happened to walk past a coffee shop. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kiba purchase a drink and check to see how hot it was. She grinned ferally. "Victim acquired." She reached into a pocket and pulled out a dog whistle Shiba had given her long ago so they could contact each other in emergencies. Akane placed the whistle in her mouth and pressed her hands against her ears as hard as she could, for she could hear the sound of the whistle too. Once Kiba brought the coffee to his lips, she blew the whistle like a siren.

Kiba's ears ached horribly and he inadvertently threw the hot beverage into his face. Yelling at the burn and the sound he dropped the cup and the rest of the contents splashed on his groin, making him grip himself and collapse. Everyone else in the shop gave him weird looks, unable to hear the offending noise. Akane stopped as a waitress approached Kiba with a rag. "Are you alright sir?"

"Do I look alright?" He yelled, then groaned some more. "This is what hell must feel like."

Akane chuckled and ran off before he would become able to know she was involved. Friend of her family or not, he would be rough with her for this. Hinata might too, but not as much as an angry Inuzuka would. When she felt she was a safe distance away, which happened to be on the street on the back side of the building, she sat down on a bench and sighed contently. She relaxed until her nose told her someone had approached her from the right, drawing her eyes slowly.

She saw a young boy about six years old wearing a yellow shirt and brown shorts. His eyes were red while his hair was brown and had a messy look to it. Overall, nothing really distinguishing about his appearance, but for some reason Akane felt she had seen him before. "Hey kid, you need something?"

"How'd you do that back there? Was it some kind of ninja trick?" The boy asked eagerly, hoping to learn.

Akane shook her head. "Nope, just knew the guy's weakness and used it. Simple as that."

The boy blinked. "Sounds dull. Why didn't you just use some ninja trick to beat him."

"Because I didn't need to. Real ninjas try to find the simple and discreet way to achieve their goals rather than the flashiest ways."

"Bet the hokage would have done some cool ninja trick instead." The young boy argued. "Do you even know any? Is that why you didn't use one?"

"I know plenty, but I also know when not to use them."

"Teach me one please. I'd love to know a good one."

Akane stood up and turned away but didn't walk off. "Why should I, kid? Most of my tricks you don't have the stamina or need for. So what's the point?"

"Akane!" Kiba's voice growled from behind her, making her turn to see an angry Inuzuka. "You were the one to pull that little stunt? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punish you myself for that?"

"Okay, how about this?" Akane said before making a hand sign. "Sexy Jutsu." Next thing anyone knew, Kiba was passed out with a nosebleed. "Predictable, Kiba-ojisan." She turned back to her normal form and strolled off. "Better let the Anbu know who today's target was."

Akane headed towards the Anbu headquarters and generally debriefing area, noticing she was being trailed. And the young boy wasn't doing a good job at being unnoticed by her. Unable to tolerate this anymore, Akane stopped and turned around, facing a trashcan. "If you've got something to say kid just say it already."

The young boy from before stepped forward more confidently. "You're pretty good to be able to spot me like that." Akane kept her groan to herself since she felt anyone with eyes could notice what he did. "And you were able to stop that older ninja so easily. Teach me to be as good as you are."

"Again kid, why should I?"

"Because I'm gonna be hokage someday like Jii-san, and I need to learn from the best I see."

Akane gave this child a flat look, then scoffed. "Sorry kid, but you're too young to handle anything I could teach you. Besides, I'm still a student myself, so I'm not fit to teach anyway."

"But I need to know and I need to know as much as I can before I become hokage later."

"And what makes you so sure you can become hokage someday?"

The young boy blinked at her. "Whaddya mean? Jii-san was the sandaime, so that means I'm s'posed ta be one too when I'm older right?"

Akane sighed and shook her head. "Listen, umm... what's your name?"

"Sorata. Sorata Yuuhi." He told her.

'Yuuhi? Kurenai-san's son? Wow, wonder why I didn't recognize him.' Akane thought to herself. Even thought Hinata and Kurenai had regular visits to each other's homes, especially when Hinata had been pregnant, it usually happened when Akane was at school so she didn't always get to see the genjutsu expert or her son.

"Anyway Sorata-chan, I think you got hokage confused with daimyo. Nobody becomes the hokage just because they're related to one. Hell, I'm connected to all six hokages and even I'm not guaranteed to get the position later on."

Sorata looked stunned. "You... you're connected to _all_ of them?" She nodded, making the boy look upset. "Then you have a much better chance than I ever did."

Akane approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder, regaining his attention. "Look kid, you've still got a chance. Just stop thinking the position's something to be handed to people. Being hokage is earned, not inherited, and if you want to earn it, just do three things Otou-san told me." Sorata looked more than ready to hear this. "One, try and become the best shinobi you can be, one that others can be proud of and willing to work with. Two, find people who are precious to you, enough that you're willing to put your life on the line for them. And three," Here she paused briefly, flashing a foxy grin. "You'll have to beat me to it."

Sorata grinned back. "Okay then I will, Boss."

'Why did I just feel deja vu?' Akane thought to herself.

* * *

_On second thought, I'll save the OC character profiles for when the teams are announced and do three at a time. Sounds better to me than one profile per chapter for at least twelve of them._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The New Genin Teams Get Assigned

Akane eagerly walked to the academy, proudly wearing her hitai-ate on her forehead, for today was the day the genin squads would be announced. She greatly wondered who she was going to be paired up with and who would be her instructor. "I just hope it's not that green guy with the supersized eyebrows. I think I'd rather have smut lover than him." Naruto had refused to tell her exactly who he selected or even what gender they were. All he did mention was that several people had volunteered to be her sensei and he had a hard time deciding which was best for her and her teammates. She hadn't asked who her teammates were going to be but knew they both would be boys considering Konoha's traditional team set-ups of two males and one female.

When Akane reached the gates, she happened to do so at the same time as one of her more-recognizable classmates. "Oh, hiya Tatsu-kun."

The boy in front of her was Tatsu Aburame, one of her best friends after Shiba Inuzuka. Tatsu was Shino's younger cousin, who met Akane years ago when Shino had to check up on Akane's developing mentality per Tsunade's orders. The two kids got along well ever since then. Tatsu was a lot like his older cousin, even dressed similarly when he had been a genin, but was easier to get along with, mostly because he didn't always talk like a normal Aburame did.

"Good morning Akane-chan. You look like you're in a good mood today."

She nodded. "Yep. Been waiting for this for about four years. Aren't you excited?"

"Not as much as you are apparently." Tatsu told her.

"Well, what if we end up on the same team?" Akane asked.

"I'd enjoy that." The Aburame simply replied.

Akane sighed. "Sometimes you're just like your cousin, and others you're not. Can't you ever make up your mind?"

"A good ninja keeps their enemy guessing."

Akane narrowed her eyes. "So I'm your enemy now, eh? Guess that means I'll have to 'target' you later." She finished with a playful smirk that could only mean one thing.

Tatsu looked bothered. "Please, not that again. You're not my enemy; I just-"

"I know what you meant, Tatsu-kun. I just enjoy pushing your buttons. It's so hard to do with your family, especially since none of you laugh." She told him before she started walking again into the academy grounds. "But don't think that means I've changed my mind about 'targetting' you later."

"I'll be watching then. Me and my allies." Tatsu warned and kept his distance, not sure if she was really serious or not.

Akane reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a can of bug spray. "Good thing I came prepared for that." Tatsu's sunglasses and high collar hid his expression well, but his body stiffened at the declaration/threat. Akane pressed the tab and some silly string came out rather than poison, covering the Aburame, irritating and relieving him at the same time. "C'mon Tatsu-kun, don't you know me better than that by now?"

"Yeah, but you're tough to predict." He said as he wiped off the party decoration. "Your team is in for one hell of time."

"Then I really hope you're in it." She said before continuing to walk towards the building again. Tatsu stayed behind her silently until they reached their classroom to await their assigned positions. Luckily they didn't have assigned seating but the two ended up sitting separately. But before Tatsu walked off to his prefered seat, he hears Akane whisper to him. "To be honest, I'm rooting for you-know-who to be your kunoichi teammate instead, Tatsu-kun." She noticed his blush, even if no one else ever had.

Akane sat down in her preferred spot and patiently waited for the teachers to arrive. She looked for a few of her friends but so far only Tatsu was already there. The rest were surely on their way though. "Hmm... I knew I should have hit Ichiraku's before coming here instead of after. Wonder if jii-san would give me a congradulatory discount like Otou-san said he might." A girl who happened to be close by gave Akane a look at hearing her mumble to herself. "Don't mind me, just thinking out loud."

In time everyone showed up and sat down, chatting amongst themselves. As usual Shiba sat down next to Akane. Iruka showed up a moment later and everyone mostly quieted down. "Alright everyone, settle down. Now, you all know why you're here right?" Akane saw this as a good opportunity to slip in a smart-ass remark to the rhetorical question, but nothing good enough came to mind before Iruka continued. "Today you all will get assigned to be a member of a three man squad. Four if you count the jounin sensei. Some of you might not get your first choice of teammates, and I want you all to remember being on a squad is more about field compatibility than off-time compatibility."

No one interrupted him so the scarred teacher continued to explain the situation. "On your own time you can be with whoever you want, but in team training and on missions a balance must be maintained to ensure things go well. A expert in one area is not necessarily an expert in another, thus the importance of balancing things out amongst team members. But you'll understand that better once you actually get out and do your jobs. I'll begin announcing the team selections."

Everyone paid attention, but mostly ignored any team that didn't include them or a close friend. Akane was no different, but heard what she wanted to hear sooner than she thought. "Team Three will be Akane Uzumaki, Noburo Sentaka, and Ichinoshikyo."

Akane was surprised to hear this. She briefly glanced at both boys. Noburo, whom she met when she was eight, was one of the more popular boys amongst the girls in their class. Apparently they liked his exotic blue hair, casual persona, and artistic talent. She didn't mind him, but was often embarrassed to be around him given how others would joke about them liking each other. He wore his hitai-ate around his head, replacing the red headband he always had there. The other boy, who was often just called Ichi, was a regular heartthrob among the girls too. They probably liked his mysterious image or something. Akane had never said a word to him outside class, and couldn't see where his hitai-ate was at the moment. At the moment Akane only had one thought on being paired up with both. 'Otou-san, I know you're the one behind this. You better have a good explanation.'

A few of the girls in the room gave Akane jealous looks but she and Iruka ignored them. "Your sensei will be... hmm... that's odd. Apparently your sensei wishes to remain unknown for now until you actually meet him or her."

"Can they do that?" Noburo asked.

"There's no rule that says they can't." Iruka answered. "Moving along, Team Four is still filled from last year, so we'll skip to Team Five, which will be Yoshimaru Matsumune, Shiba Inuzuka, and Kioshi Kurama. Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuuhi."

Akane looked to her Inuzuka friend seated next to her, who looked a little saddened by not being teamed up with the person she had in mind. Instead she got a boy who reminded Akane of Lee and another from a genjutsu specialist clan. "Sorry you didn't get to be with him." She whispered.

"Team Six will be Tatsu Aburame, Masa Shikitomo, and Sayo Shichou. Your sensei will be Kakashi Hatake." Iruka continued.

Akane turned to look at Tatsu, who didn't return the glance. 'I think I'm more sorry for you Tatsu-kun. Stuck with the stuck-up and smut lover is going to be rough.' She had no comment regarding his other teammate, who looked to be minding his own business for the moment.

Iruka listed off the rest but Akane didn't focus on them so much and forgot all about them. She did return her focus once he finished with the last team. "Alright everyone, you'll be given an hour break before your sensei's arrive to check you out. You can do anything you want in that time, but I suggest you use it to try and get to know your teammates a little first. That'll make doing your job much easier later on and that can make all the difference sometimes. So feel free to stretch your legs for a bit, but be back here in one hour. Actually, for those of you on Team Six, I'd recommend being here in two hours instead. Dismisssed."

Iruka left the room, and a few freshly appointed genin decided to do the same. Akane stood up and stretched. "I don't know about you Shiba-chan, but I'm going to go get a quick bite. Wanna come along?"

Shiba shook her head. "No thanks Akane-chan. I'm not in the mood for ramen now. Maybe next time. But is going off such a good idea?"

"You know how quick I can be, so you tell me." Akane said before leaping out an open window, disappearing in a red blur.

Sayo scoffed. "What a show-off."

"She does have talent, even if she prefers to have fun." Tatsu told her from behind her, frightening the girl a bit as she hadn't heard him approach. "And I would prefer you save bashing my friend for when I can't hear it."

"I... I agree with Tatsu-kun." Shiba added quietly, walking towards Sayo. "After all, you may someday end up in a situation where you need her to help you."

Sayo wearily sighed. "Fine then. No need to get so defensive over it."

* * *

After Akane finished four bowls of ramen total she decided to return to the classroom. Apparently some of the jounin senseis had surprised their students by arriving earlier than scheduled and already taken them somewhere else. Lucky for her that wasn't the case for her team since both boys were still sitting and waiting. "Done already? You must not have been that hungry." Noburo commented, noticing she had been gone for about twenty minutes.

"Didn't want to take too long." Akane replied casually. She sat down with an empty chair in between the two of them. "So what were you doing while I was out?"

"Not much. Just doodling to kill time."

"Can I see?" Akane asked. She had always liked Noburo's sketches. He pulled out a notepad and showed her some well drawn pictures of various demons, his favorite thing to draw. His most recent one looked like a six-tailed mongoose fighting an eight-tailed snake. There was no shadowing and the background was unfinished, but overall Akane was impressed. "Not bad, but I still like that one you made of the kyuubi awhile ago more."

Noburo smiled but said nothing, returning to adding more detail to his current drawing. Akane looked around and saw the other member of their squad sitting on the far end of the room reading a book. 'Not exactly the outgoing type. Hell, I barely know anything about that guy besides his name, and I only know that because of those girls that like him. Otou-san said something about him being kept away years ago, but I don't remember much about that. Sure, he's not bad looking, but antisocial and untalkative isn't my type. At least he's not an emo. That'll make working with the guy easier.'

Some time went by and their sensei hadn't shown up yet. Akane was seriously tempted to set a trap on the door for when they entered, but didn't because her team wasn't the only one waiting and upsetting someone elses sensei like that was probably going to get her in trouble with her parents, more than usual that is. Naruto might even agree with Hinata's ultimate punishment, the ramen ban. So the best way for her to ignore the urge was to do what Nara's did best.

The door began to open and Akane lifted her head off her desk and rubbed her eyes. A quick look at the clock told her she had only been resting for about three minutes. Looking at the door, she first thought she saw Hinata, but a closer and more alert look told her otherwise. This woman did resemble Hinata, but was shorter in both height and hair length, wore tan rather than lavender, and her clothes favored showing off her figure rather than hiding it, which by the way was only one size smaller than Hinata's. Akane recognized her immediately. "Hanabi-obasan? What are you doing here?"

Hanabi turned to look at her adoptive niece and smiled. "Hi Akane-chan. Actually I'm here for you. Your sensei wants you and your teammates to meet them on the roof in two minutes. Better hurry." She then ducked out the door.

"Who was that?" Noburo asked.

"My aunt. C'mon, step on it." Akane answered before rushing to get to the roof on time. Noburo and Ichi packed up their stuff and tried to keep up. When they reached the top of the building, they saw Hanabi sitting on the edge waiting for them. The two boys were busy trying to catch their breaths so Akane was the only one who could say anything to her. "So I guess this means you're our sensei Obasan?"

Hanabi nodded. "Yep. Hokage-sama said I'd be a good fit for you three. Especially you."

"But aren't you related to one of us? Isn't that against the rules?" Noburo asked once he could.

"Apparently that one's not iron-clad. Anyway, there are reasons I'm a good choice for you three that you'll probably understand later on." Hanabi told them. "So why don't we sit around and introduce ourselves?"

* * *

_Since I don't want to repeat myself I'll stop the chapter here and give you the character bios. It's basically the same thing as the self introductions. By the way, credit for the creation of Tatsu goes to Narnia Moons, creator of Shiba too._

Team Three

-Akane Uzumaki

Appearance: Red hair, blue eyes, red-and-black jumpsuit with Uzumaki symbol on left sleeve and Hyuuga symbol on right sleeve

Family: No blood relatives, adopted parents Naruto and Hinata, extended family consists of Tsunade and Hyuuga clan, Kiba and Shino like semi-uncle figures

Likes: Ramen, her family and friends, training, playing pranks, the byakugan

Dislikes: Waiting for ramen to cook, bigoted old people, memory manipulators, the sharingan, Gai's antics

Hobbies: Pranking, training

Dreams: Become hokage, preferably Shichidaime

-Noburo Sentaka

Appearance: Blue hair, brown eyes, green jacket with clan symbol on shoulders, black shirt, brown pants

Family: No living relatives, deceased clan from Kiri, foster guardians now Tenten and Neji

Likes: Drawing, okonomiyaki, weapons, most animals, the ocean

Dislikes: Criminals, murderers, spiders, cramped places, being cold

Hobbies: Practicing with weapons, drawing

Dreams: Revive clan and improve their unique fighting style

-Ichinoshikyo

Appearance: Black hair, black eyes, dark colored jacket and pants, sunglasses, lightly tanned skin

Family: No confirmed blood relations, presumed to be connected to Kumo citizens generations ago, fellow ROOT reject named Dansue acting as sister figure/legal guardian

Likes: The dark, his sister, clay, rabbits, dark colors

Dislikes: Bright lights, bright colors, aluminum, loud noises, being hot

Hobbies: Clay sculpting, ninjutsu practice

Dreams: Never thought about it, just wants to enjoy the present


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Issues With Trust Among Teammates

After meeting with her new team Akane headed home, thinking over what the sensei had told her before the meeting ended.

-Flashback-

After the three genin introduced themselves, Hanabi leaned against a metal post. "So I've got a menace, an artist, and an oddball for students. And you three think you're ready to be shinobi?"

This certainly surprised Akane. "Of... of course we are Obasan. We passed the tests after all."

"You passed part one. I'm in charge of part two, and this is the _really _important part." Hanabi corrected. "Because if you fail, you'll go back to the academy and hope you'll have better luck next time." She saw their shocked faces and held in a small laugh. "And just so you know, this test has a low rate of success. So low, I've never passed anyone with it."

"I suppose the fact that you've never tested anyone before us doesn't apply there, right Obasan?" Akane asked carefully.

"Damn you caught me. Anyway, my point's still accurate. Usually only three teams a year become real genin. Last year only two passed. And they're both still genins."

"Then what was the point of the other tests?" Noburo asked.

"Those were to see if you had the physical skills and mental know-how to have a good start at being ninja. This part sees if you've got something more important. Something that can't be tested for the same way. You'll understand better tomorrow. And don't ask anyone older than you about it. This is something you need to figure out on your own to pass. Just so you know, I need a night to set everything up, so it'll take place then. So meet me at Training Ground 3 at eight in the morning sharp. I've gotta go see the hokage now, so you're free until then. See ya later."

She shushined out of sight, leaving the three genin to think over her words. "Think we'll pass?" Ichi asked without moving. The whole time he'd been there, he was crouched rather than actually sitting. And now they could see the metal plate from his hitai-ate had been sewn onto his jacket.

"I'm sure of it. I just wonder what she's looking for in us." Noburo commented.

"Knowing my aunt, she'll want to see how good we can improvise or team up, or something like that." Akane thought aloud, then stood up and dusted off her outfit. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna head off now. Bet the Anbu are getting impatient or paranoid now since I haven't done anything yet. Later boys." She then hopped off the building and landed on the ground unharmed then walked away like it was nothing.

"Aren't we four stories up?" Ichi asked Noburo as both watched over the ledge.

"She's always doing something reckless like that." Noburo told his new teammate.

"Is she human?" Ichi asked.

"Sometimes I wonder."

-End flashback-

Akane stepped into her house and saw her father playing with her little brother. Or rather, a shadow clone of her father. Saved them a lot of money compared to having a babysitter. "Hi guys." She never referred to Naruto's clones the same way she would the real him. Never felt right to her.

The clone looked at her and smiled. "Glad you're here. Could you watch Jiraiya-chan until one of your parents comes back?"

"Sure thing. You fed him right?" The clone nodded and then dispelled. "Have you been a good boy today Rai-chan?"

"Neechan!" The boy squealed happily, reaching out for her from the floor.

She picked him up and rubbed his head affectionately. "Wanna go outside for a bit?" He nodded and she carried him out front onto the porch. When they got there she saw Noburo about to enter Neji and Tenten's house. "Oh. Hi Noburo-kun." She wasn't that surprised to see him. The boy had originally lived with Tenten's family when he came to Konoha, and stayed with her father after the weapon-loving kunoichi got married and a house of her own. However, a year ago Tenten's father's spine got severed by a stray falling blade in the smith and he died later from the injury. Tenten suspected that was no accident, but couldn't find any evidence pointing to murder or sabotage. Since then, Noburo had been living with his big sister figure and her husband, making him and Akane neighbors.

"Hi Akane-chan. Shouldn't you be off dumping paint on some jounin's head somewhere?" The blue-haired boy asked.

"Not a bad idea. Maybe if I do that to one of those two you live with I can let them know where I got the idea from." The red-haired girl replied.

"You wouldn't." Noburo said.

Akane grinned like a fox. "And I thought you knew me better than that. Just consider yourself lucky I can't do it now since I gotta watch my brother. Later." She walked off with a wave that was returned, and headed for Jiraiya's favorite place to play around. After a quick stop at Ichiraku's of course.

* * *

When Akane and Jiraiya came home they saw Hinata sitting down on the couch chatting with Hanabi. "Hi Okaa-san, Obasan."

"Hi Akane-chan." Both women greeted.

"Kaachan!" Jiraiya shouted happily.

Hinata got up to hold her son. "How's my little man doing? Were you good for your sister?"

"Mostly. He did throw some sand at another kid though." Akane told them.

Hanabi leaned in to see her nephew. "Hey Jiraiya-chan, want a sucker?" She held up a lollipop for him, which he tried to grab but she kept out of reach. "Not quite. You know what I want to hear." She taught the young boy to say something adorable whenever she offered him sweets.

"I'm nodda pawvart, I'm a supa pawvart." Jiraiya said, not understanding what he said but he knew he'd get the candy for it.

Hanabi laughed and handed him the treat. Akane giggled too and Hinata just shook her head. "My husband still doesn't like you doing that imouto."

"You knew what was going to happen once you gave him that name nee-san. Besides, I'm the aunt, it's my kami-given right to do things like this." Hanabi stated while tickling the boy in her sister's arms.

"What brings you here anyway Obasan? Shouldn't you be getting our test ready?" Akane asked.

"I need your father for one more thing, so I'm taking a break. Besides, your mother and I have something we need to discuss with you first." The current Hyuuga heiress told her before taking a seat back on the sofa. Hinata followed, so Akane sat down on the floor in front of them.

"Something wrong?" The red-haired girl asked.

Hinata shook her head. "No Akane-chan. It's just we wanted you to know that your father and I both felt it would be best for you if your sensei... knew about your secret. That way she can teach you better and know what to expect if things go badly."

Akane's eyes widened. She then looked at Hanabi. "Y-you m-mean... you...?"

Hanabi nodded. "Yes Akane-chan, I know. You're a nine-tailed fox demon, but not the same kyuubi that attacked this village twenty-two years ago. And more importantly, you're my niece."

Akane looked surprised to hear this. She hung her head so they couldn't see any potential tears. "Th... thank you, Obasan."

Hinata and Hanabi shared a look, having already predicted this sort of behavior. "Nobody else has been told so far. However, that brings up the other thing I wanted to discuss with you." Hanabi continued, making Akane raise her head. "It's okay for me to know this right away. So if you happen to go berserk and act up on dangerous missions I can cover for you. Not that I'm recommending you do anything like that though. However, I feel it's a good idea to let your teammates know too eventually."

Akane gasped. "You... you want me to tell them I'm a potentially dangerous demon? The kind this village doesn't like? If I could do that I wouldn't be pretending to be a human all this time now would I?"

Hinata stepped in, able to deal with any rising anger here. "Akane-chan, we're not telling you to tell them. In fact, I think telling them anytime soon would be a bad idea." Akane's face softened and got a curious look on it. "Let them get to know you as a dependable teammate first. Grow to trust them and let them trust you, and if you believe they can handle it, then it might be wise to tell them. But you don't have to if you don't want to. Your father had a similar choice at your age and he chose no. If you do the same, that's okay too."

Hanabi nodded. "We just wanted you to know that. Also, there may come a time when you can't keep it a secret. Why, I don't know, but it _could_ happen. We'll let you decide if and when you're ready to inform anyone."

"I'll... think about it." Akane quietly told them.

Hinata handed Jiraiya to Hanabi and knelt down in front of her daughter. "Now then, why don't I prepare you an extra large bowl of your favorite ramen since you're so down and almost guaranteed to pass your test tomorrow?"

"With a cinnamon roll?" The girl asked teasingly.

"No way, there's one left and it's mine."

"Ever notice we go thru cinnamon rolls faster than we do ramen?" Akane pointed out.

Hinata looked irritated. "She does have a point neesan." Hanabi commented. "In fact, I don't think I've ever see you guys without ramen. Have you ever run out?"

"Once." Akane answered. "That day nearly tore this house apart."

"I've changed my mind." Hinata said as she stood up. Akane activated the dreaded puppy eyes jutsu, which was almost too effective when she used it. Hinata caved like a straw house in a storm, and prepared Akane enough ramen to be served in a large mixing bowl. Akane downed the whole thing in ten minutes. "Most girls would kill for your metabolism dear." Hinata mused, wondering how much extra weight she herself had maybe gained in a few years.

Hanabi stayed over a bit longer to hang out with her sister and have dinner with them. Naruto showed up and was chagrined he didn't have a jumbo ramen himself. Hinata pointed out he had six servings himself at lunch, effectively silencing him.

When Hinata was preparing dinner with Hanabi's help, Akane had Naruto talk to her in the front room. "Otou-san, I was already told about Obasan knowing about me. Do you think it's a good idea for me to tell my teammates later?"

Naruto sighed, understanding all too well her predicament. "Akane-chan, I definitely say give it some time. I myself didn't bother telling my secret, but that's because my teammates could barely stand me. If your teammates are friendlier and trustworthy, then I'm sure you'll make the right decision."

"I just knew you were going to say that." Akane muttered.

"And if they aren't, you could just shove a rasengan thru them." Naruto added snidely, making Akane's eyes widen considerably. "Did you see that one coming?"

Akane shook her head. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

* * *

The next day Team Three was gathered together at a gazebo in Training Ground 3 waiting for their instructor to come and test them. They got there early so they passed the time playing go fish with a deck of cards Ichi carried on him at the time. At eight o'clock sharply Hanabi appeared. "Ready for the test guys?"

They put the cards away and stood attentively in front of her. "Yes sensei."

"Good. Now, here are the rules. Pay attention, because this is a relatively newly created test." Hanabi smiled and held a key in front of them. "In this area somewhere, is a locked box you need to find and open. This key doesn't open it though. Instead, there are three boxes hidden in the area that this key goes to, and inside each of them is a piece of a map to find the goal box. So your test is to find those three boxes, and use the clues inside them to find your ultimate goal."

"Sounds simple enough." Akane said calmly.

Hanabi smirked evilly and pocketed the key. "Did I mention you'll have to take this key from me first? And afterwards you'll have to face several obstacles including myself trying to get the key back? Trust me, there's nothing simple about this test. You have three hours to complete or else you all fail. Begin." She then disappeared in a cloud of swirling leaves.

* * *

Team Five

Shiba Inuzuka

Appearance: Light black hair in ponytail, blue eyes, red fang marks on cheeks, black kimono with ice-blue spiral above heart, red fingerless gloves, sword with fox-shaped handle

Family: Inuzuka clan, cousin to Kiba and tutored by Hana, both aprents alive, no siblings

Likes: Winter, dogs, foxes, her friends, the hokage, chocolate

Dislikes: Cats, critics, pushy people, Uchihas, fleas

Hobbies: Kenjutsu practice, hiking

Dreams: Be respected by the Inuzuka elders

Yoshimaru Matsumune

Appearance: Grey hair, tan eyes, green shirt with mesh shirt under it, dull yellow shorts, arm guards, shin guards, hitai-ate worn as bandanna like Genma

Family: Father in Anbu, mother civilian who works in clothing store, younger sister who aspires to be a kunoichi

Likes: Taijutsu, peanut butter, dragons, camping, lakes

Dislikes: Smoke, needles, closed spaces, blood, deserts

Hobbies: Fishing, taijutsu practice

Dreams: Be a taijutsu expert with good ninjutsu skills too

Kioshi Kurama

Appearance:Brown hair with two blonde streaks, violet eyes, red and purple striped tank top, mesh on arms, tan pants with black stripes

Family: Kurama clan, both parents living, no siblings

Likes: Cats, rock gardens, blossom trees, ice cream, cameras

Dislikes: Mud, spicy food, sour drinks, being wet, complainers

Hobbies: Genjutsu practice, photography

Dreams: Be a genjutsu expert and find new ways to use them


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Key Test For Team Three

"So what do we do?" Noburo asked after Hanabi left the area.

"We either fight her first or find the boxes first ." Akane mentioned.

Ichi snapped his fingers to get their attention. "Find boxes first. Then find sensei and get key, so we can get map quickly."

"Sounds good, but how?" Noburo replied.

"Leave the tracking to me. I'm a natural." Akane claimed. She then placed her hitai-ate over her eyes, blindfolding herself, and made four quick hand signs. She didn't call out a jutsu name, just mouthed it or said it really quietly, making the two boys curious about what she was doing. After standing like that for ten seconds, she relaxed and spoke up. "The boxes are to our immediate left in a scalene triangle pattern."

"How do you know?" Noburo asked curiously.

"I'm doing something that heightens my senses but requires I hide my eyes to make it work." Akane explained just before she put her headband back in place. "C'mon, we don't got all day." With that, all three dashed into the forest on the training ground, sure their sensei was watching them.

"Did that jutsu also tell you where these boxes are?" Noburo asked, looking around for anything flat and rectangular and just seeing trees and grass.

"They should be surrounded by plants or other natural obstacles so don't just assume any will be out in the open." The redhead stated quietly, her mind almost solely on the task at hand, looking between the surrounding trees. "Obasan-sensei wouldn't be too close by now, but be alert."

"Wouldn't?" Ichi asked, wondering if he had heard her wrong.

"If I know Obasan, she'd let us get to one box without interference to boost our confidence and then ambush us." Akane replied as she looked thru a bush. "C'mon boys, don't just stand around." With that, Noburo and Ichi got to work like they should have from the beginning. They did pretty much the same thing she was doing at the moment though, but it was better than nothing.

"Found it." Ichi quietly announced to his teammates while showing them a small silver box the size of a toaster with a lock on it. "Was under a tree in a hole."

"Let's take it with us. If we leave it behind to come back to sensei might hide it somewhere else." Noburo suggested.

"Good idea. Didn't think of that." Akane said.

Noburo pulled out a small scroll and opened it. "Nee-san taught me all about this." Using one of the empty storage seals, he sealed away the box and pocketed the scroll. "So where's the next one Red?"

"I think there's one up in a tree that way." Akane answered pointing behind her. After runnig in that direction for four minutes, Akane stopped in front of a random tree. "I'll get this one." She walked right up the tree, surprising Noburo and Ichi she could do that already. Noburo was still learning and Ichi had never been shown. While their attention was being held, a pair of shuriken were launched at them. They heard it in time and got out of the way, but more showed up making them dodge more. Noburo pulled out a kunai and began blocking them as best he could, and Ichi did the same right after.

It looked like the barrage of shuriken was increasing and coming from more than one direction now. A bunch of Akane's clones fell out of the trees and took the hits, dispelling into smoke. When it cleared, all the genin were gone from the area and the attack stopped.

In a tree about thirty meters away, Akane, Noburo, and Ichi sat and kept their guard up. "What did you just do?" Ichi asked Akane.

"I created some clones to make a smokescreen and took the opportunity to get you two away. Oh, and I found this too." She told them before indicating the box in her hands. "Here you go Noburo-kun." He took it and sealed it inside the scroll like the first one. "Be on guard more next time. Obasan's just warming up and the next one will be tougher."

"What do you think she's trying to do?" Noburo asked.

"She's testing us. Can't you see that?" She asked. They nodded, but she wasn't so sure they were on the same page as her. "The way I see it, so far our foraging and defensive skills have been tested, and the next goal would focus on something else. Either then or before we get to the end we'll have to face her directly." Noburo nodded, already aware of that, but Ichi looked bothered. Not like he didn't predict that, but more like he wasn't fully prepared for it.

"Where's the next one?" Noburo asked.

Akane was about to answer, but more shuriken were thrown at them before she could. The three jumped to the nearest branch to avoid being hit. "Follow me. No time to take our time anymore. She's testing our evasiveness now."

The three genin jumped out of the trees and onto the ground before they ran off. Or more accurately, Akane was running and Noburo and Ichi were following her, thinking she'd lead them to the third box. Honestly, she was trying to get Hanabi off her trail, hoping the Hyuuga jounin wasn't using her byakugan for this.

"This reminds me of several simulations we did back at the academy." Noburo commented. "What exactly is she testing here that the other teachers couldn't?"

"Dunno." was all Ichi said on the subject.

'Some help this guy is.' Noburo bitterly thought.

Akane came to a stop behind a tree to avoid anymore hits. Noburo and Ichi followed her example, and soon the sounds of shuriken hitting wood stopped. She made a clone and had it check the other side to see if Hanabi would keep attacking. A quick puff of smoke answered that question.

"Damn. How do we get out of here and get the next box?" Noburo asked.

Akane smiled and answered in a whisper. "I think I have an idea. Risky, but it might work. Don't move until I give the signal, okay?" The two boys nodded, interested in what she came up with since she was known as quite a clever trickster. Akane made three shadow clones, one in front of each of them, and two transformed to look like Noburo and Ichi. Akane made a 'come here' gesture and the boys followed her as they darted west. A few seconds afterwards the clones darted east.

"What was that?" Ichi asked.

"A decoy. Obasan knows I can use clones and a clone user usually lets the clone make the first move instead of themselves. So by making them move _after_ we did, I tricked her into thinking we were the clones and she's now after the 'real' ones."

"You sure it worked?" Ichi asked.

Akane nodded. "Just got the memories back. The clones are gone, but did their job, and Obasan's probably confused. C'mon, the last box should be this way and she's gonna catch up sooner or later. Keep your eyes open."

As they ran they jumped over a shallow but wide stream and Noburo stopped in his tracks. "Hey! I think I found it." The other two got next to him and saw a box in the water and all three picked it up. Noburo sealed it with the other acquired boxes. "Now all we need is the key from sensei."

"How do we get that?" Ichi asked.

Akane hummed in thought and put her hitai-ate over her eyes again and made some handsigns again. The two boys were really curious about what she was doing but didn't ask so they wouldn't disrupt her. "Obasan should be that way." She pointed off to the right, angled a little forward. "And my guess is she's probably moved her key to a new pocket to throw us off. Noburo-kun, if me and Ichi-kun keep her occupied, could you use your skills to take it?"

"I'll give it a try."

Akane smirked her infamous prankster grin, cancelled the justu, and put her hitai-ate back in place. "Let's get busy then."

Meanwhile, Hanabi looked around, trying to find her students without her byakugan. She decided that the only way to make this a fair challenge for them so they had a chance at passing was if she didn't use her kekkei genkai. Sort of like how Kakashi didn't use his sharingan during Team 7's test. But that didn't mean her options were limited. Hanabi was one Hyuuga who had several tricks up her sleeve.

After hearing a twig snap, she kept her smile to herself and sat down on a tree stump. "Wonder if any of those three got what it takes." She thought out loud as she pulled out a water bottle to take a drink. Before she could open it, a kunai shot out and pierced it, making it empty all over her hand. "That will affect your grade." She shouted out to her students.

Akane came out of the shrubs armed with a kunai in each hand. "I don't suppose you'd simply give me the key would you?"

"I could, but where's the fun in that? By the way, where are the others?"

"You should be more worried about me Obasan." Akane threw both kunai and Hanabi blocked them both barehanded. Akane then created a dozen clones and had them swarm her. A basic version of the gentle fist was enough to get rid of them, but Akane made more and kept it up.

"It isn't going to beat me Akane-chan."

Said girl grinned. "Never said I was trying to beat you, did I?"

Hanabi's eyes briefly widened. 'Oh crap. With her that could mean anything.'

"Twilight style: Dark Kraken Jutsu." Ichi called out as the clone ambush died down. Thanks to there being sunlight he didn't need to waste a flare here. All of a sudden Hanabi's shadow grew tendrils and snaked up to grab here, like a Nara technique but three-dimensional. Each tendril latched onto a different part of her body and then shortened, pulling her into a curled ball like she was a puppet and Ichi was the puppeteer.

"Ninja Art: Octopus Jutsu." Noburo said as long strands of blue hair came out of a tree and began probing Hanabi's body, searching every pocket for a key. Her struggling didn't make it easy, but he found it. And like Akane predicted, it was in a different pocket this time. "Got it."

"Good. Let's go." Akane shouted. All three disappeared from sight, or rather only Akane did since she was the only one Hanabi could actually see just then.

"How long will that trap last?" Noburo asked.

"A minute without me." Ichi answered.

"Let's hurry then." Akane stated. 'Something's not right. Obasan went down too easily, even for a move like that. It's almost like she wanted us to get the key. But then, what was the point of the test?'

"Let's open the boxes now. This should be distance enough." Noburo told them as he unsealed all three gathered boxes. He used the key and unlocked them all, settling any fear that Hanabi might have been holding a fake one. Inside each box was a single key, three total, and a piece of paper that was clearly a map but torn to pieces. "Okay, this should tell us where to go to finish the test."

When they put the pieces together they saw a birds-eye view of the training ground they were in. And an X marked where they needed to go. "Wait a minute. Isn't that where we started this whole thing?" Akane asked, not sure if she was reading it right.

Noburo double-checked. "I think it is. What does that mean?"

"We'll find out when we get there. No time to waste." Ichi commented.

All three started running to where this test of theirs started in the first place. It took them some time, but when they got there they saw a larger version of the boxes they'd been forced to hunt for just sitting on top of a stump. And it certainly hadn't been there before they left, implying Hanabi had put it there while they were scavenging the forest. They got closer to it and saw it was locked too.

"Hey. Maybe if we open this, it means we pass." Noburo exclaimed.

"Wait. Two locks." Ichi pointed out.

A closer inspection showed that this box had two keyholes on it rather than three. "So why do we have an extra one?" Akane asked, looking at the key she was currently carrying.

"This is the final part of the test." Hanabi shouted out as she started strolling into sight with her arms crossed. "Congratulations on finding it, but like I said before, most students don't pass these tests. And since I don't really feel like singling one of you out for more schooling, you three will choose for yourselves. Who uses their keys to open it will become real genin, while the one that doesn't will go back to the academy."

Akane, Noburo, and Ichi all looked at each other, none of them sure what to do just now. And at the same time, none of them made a move to ensure they were 'not it' so to speak. After a sigh, Akane closed her eyes and tossed her key to Hanabi's feet.

"What the...?" Everyone asked her.

"I'm taking one for the team. I hate the idea of having to wait, but I wouldn't feel right taking this opportunity from someone else. I've also got a few unfair advantages over these two, so the least I can do is ensure they don't have to sacrifice their chance for me just because I'm better qualified. And it's not like this is my one chance."

"Wait a minute Akane-chan. You deserve this more than both of us. You've got so much talent it'd be a crime to not use it now. I'm the one who can stand to wait a little more." Noburo countered.

"No, I can." Ichi argued. "I'm a better thinker than fighter."

"Guys, you may be right, but-"

"But nothing. If you don't deserve to pass today, who does?" Noburo interjected.

"Ahem." Hanabi said to regain their attention. "If that's gonna be your attitude on the matter then I think I will have to decide. And I say... you all pass."

All three students blinked rapidly in surprise before responding. "What?"

"Think about it for a moment. Why would the hokage go to so much effort to create balanced teams of three if we were just going to eliminate one from each and rearrange them all over again? What's the point?"

"So then, it's an all-or-nothing situation?" Ichi asked.

"Bingo. Either all pass, or none do. And usually two out of three teams don't get it right and need more time to mature. Be glad you're one of the lucky ones." Hanabi replied.

"But what was the point of it then?" Noburo asked. "Why say everybody passes the academy but not just let them become ninja?"

"Because if we did that, granted we'd have more numbers in our forces, but we'd risk having to watch over many kids who aren't truly ready to be shinobi. You see, even if you can do the bookwork and exercises well, there's one vital characteristic a ninja needs that this test looks for. And if you don't have it, academy decisions mean nothing." Hanabi explained.

"And what would that be?" Noburo asked.

"Let me guess." Akane said, feeling a strange sense of deja vu here. "You wanted to see if we can work as a team or if we'd just care about our own goals. Right?"

Hanabi smiled. "Attagirl. That's exactly right. What just happened was the main part of the test. Seeing if you guys would take a hit so the others don't have to, or if you'd fight amongst yourselves for the prize. For the record, if you had done that you would have failed. No ninja starts a solo career. Working on a squad is the best way to get a job done, compensate for your weaknesses, and ensure your own safety to get back home. If all you care about is your own hide, you're not fit to wear that headband. The rest of the test was just a way of seeing what you could do in the field when you're not sure what to expect. Not bad so far, but you all have much to learn."

"So we're officially genin now?" Ichi asked for clarification.

Hanabi nodded. "Show up here tomorrow morning at 8:00 sharp. We'll start then, but you can have the rest of the day off. And help yourself to what's in the box. Doesn't matter who opens it now."

Curious, Noburo and Ichi, the only ones still holding a key just then, unlocked the boxes and saw inside were multiple coupons to free meals at their favorite restaurants, certified by the hokage himself. Akane quickly grabbed all of the Ichiraku ones before the boys could even check them all and took off to cash them in.

* * *

Team Six

Tatsu Aburame

Appearance: Black-brown hair, blue sunglasses over golden-brown eyes, black trenchcoat like Shino, black boots

Family: Aburame clan, younger cousin to Shino, both parents alive, no siblings

Likes: His clan, insects, his friends, foxes, forests

Dislikes: Genjutsu, genjutsu users, poisons, yardwork, being wet

Hobbies: Practicing clan techniques, word puzzles

Dreams: Be the best he can be among his clan

Masa Shikitomo

Appearance: Purple hair, blue eyes, blue shirt with orange stripes, black pants with weapon pouches on both legs, two swords at hip, blue shoes

Family: Both parents alive, older brother in Anbu

Likes: Birds, swords, oranges, sushi, traveling

Dislikes: Snakes, enka music, graveyards, rain, being underground

Hobbies: Kenjutsu practice, taijutsu practice

Dreams: Create his own fighting style that will be respected and passed down

Sayo Shichou

Appearance: Brown hair with a long pigtail, onyx eyes, green dress with black butterfly symbol on sleeve, black shorts, sandals

Family: Unconfirmed father, mother civilian who owns a bookstore, no siblings, extended family that's not large enough for clan status

Likes: Reading, chemistry, onigiri, hot cocoa, butterflys

Dislikes: Slackers, people who make fun of disabilities, heights, doctors, cameras

Hobbies: Writing, target practice

Dreams: Write her own manga someday and make her family better known among shinobi


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Hanabi Evaluates Her New Students

8:00 AM came and everyone in Team 3 was assembled at the training ground they had been at the previous day as ordered. Everyone except Hanabi that was, who wasn't anywhere in sight. "Any idea what we're going to do today?" Noburo asked while he leaned against a tree.

"Probably some workouts and maybe a D-rank mission or two." Akane answered as she tried finishing off a cup of instant ramen she managed to get without Hinata knowing. Sadly she forgot chopsticks so she had to eat it without, but this wasn't the first time for her.

"Workouts and chores? If I wanted that I'd have stayed home." The blue-haired boy stated.

"What'd ya expect we'd do?" Akane asked.

"Well, something we haven't done before." Noburo answered.

"Haven't done missions before." Ichi added, currently minding his own business by looking at some working ants.

"D-rank missions are no different than manual labor anyone could do. We should be doing something only ninja are qualified for." Noburo claimed.

"Got to start off simple kid." Hanabi said as she strolled into the clearing. A quick look at her watch said she was a little under two minutes late. "Lucky for you three we're not on any schedule today so we can start figuring out what routine works best for us. I'm thinking we'll start off with some workouts to get the blood flowing and muscles working, then some D-ranks and if we have spare time I'll think of something else we can do. Any objections?" No one said anything. "Good. Now drop and give me 50."

Noburo and Ichi did exactly what they were supposed to, but Akane lied on her back and held out a 50 ryo bill. "Dang it that's all I have."

"You know I meant push-ups Akane-chan so hop to it. And don't be literal." Hanabi told her. She waited to add more until the redhead actually got started. "And once you three are done, give me 50 sit-ups."

"Isn't that a bit much?" Ichi asked.

"Gai-sempai gives his students a minimum of a thousand. Still think this is a bit much?" Hanabi stated.

"She's not joking." Noburo commented.

The three genin didn't say anything else for the rest of their work out. The whole time Hanabi meanwhile sat underneath a tree and read a novel, not Icha Icha, and kept her eyes on them. Most of this was because she wanted to see if something this simple was enough to get them unfocused or irritated. A genin that did get hot under the collar easily needed extra attention to get them under control in her eyes. And it looked like neither were yet.

Akane was the first to finish the two rounds since she had the best stamina of them all. Noburo finished after her, not breathing hard but still short of breath, and Ichi came in last looking like he didn't want to move again. Hanabi quickly stood over them all as they lied on their backs panting. "That was too much? Pitiful."

"At least we all finished." Akane said.

"You guys are going to do the same round every morning until I feel there's no need anymore." Hanabi ordered, making the two boys groan. "If you want to make it easier, try doing it at home too during your normal exercises. That'll make getting used to it go much faster. Now stand up."

Akane effortlessly got up on her feet, while Noburo and Ichi took slightly longer. "So what's next?"

"We've got some more time, so how about some target practice?"

"Academy stuff?" Ichi asked with an arched eyebrow.

"You may be graduated now, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying to improve the skills you've already got. Big mistake many rookies make is believing they only need to practice something once or until they get it right and then stop altogether. That accomplishes nothing." Hanabi then sat down. "Sit up everyone. I think you all need some nonphysical lessons too."

Akane, Noburo, and Ichi got ready to listen to their teacher, after Akane grabbed her unfinished ramen cup not wanting it to go to waste. Hanabi made no move to stop her, just started what she wanted to say. "It's true the academy taught you basic stuff to get started, but that doesn't mean those lessons don't matter anymore. You still have room for improvement and those lessons still apply. You don't hit a bulls-eye once and say you now have perfect accuracy; you try again to make sure it wasn't luck, and keep trying until you know it's not luck but skill."

"But don't forget luck sometimes is a bigger factor than skill." Akane pointed out.

"Maybe, but my point is that you shouldn't act like everything you had to do before now is done and over with. They taught you those chakra exercises and fighting skills for a reason, to make what I'm going to teach you much easier for you to learn. Yes we're going to work on chakra control like you've been for years and yes we'll do D-ranks that aren't very exciting. But those will help get you in shape for when you move up to the harder stuff. If you try the harder stuff without mastering the basics, let's just say you'll end up breaking more than just a sweat."

The three genin absorbed this information in. For Akane it was easy since she had been around Naruto and Tsunade a lot and they told her how they handled their jobs so she'd know what to expect if she really wanted to be hokage herself someday. From them she learned quite a bit about what genin were assigned to do so she expected all this. For Ichi he took it all in stride, thinking this system was here for a reason and proved true and effective, thus not to be objected to. For Noburo, he was a little disappointed that the start of his legitimate ninja career wasn't quite what he hoped it would be, but he was mature enough to not throw a tantrum over it.

Hanabi paused before continuing. "With that said and done, we will form a routine of exercises to get your bodies fit and coordinated enough for the job and some sparring. We will do chakra exercises and jutsu practice too, in and out of spars. And at least one D-rank mission a day to give you an opportunity to improvise your skills and earn some spending money. Maybe two if we have enough time. And in case you're wondering, the other teams are doing this too. Only a lazy instructor would plan otherwise."

'Why did I just think of smut lover?' Akane briefly wondered.

Hanabi then stood up and brushed off her legs. "So now then, we don't we try some sparring for a bit? Since my specialty is taijutsu I need to see where you three stand in that area first. I'll be your opponent for each of you one at a time. Hmm... you, Ichi-san, you go first. Akane-chan, Noburo-san, back away for this."

Akane and Noburo walked away to the edge of the clearing while Ichi stood up and stayed. Hanabi then got into a juuken stance while Ichi didn't make any. He tried balling up his fists and positioning them in front of him, but that was it. Hanabi mentally sighed. 'Kid's definitely not a taijutsu-type. Looks like he barely even has a handle on the academy style. He'll need a lot of work.' She then made a move to lightly tag him, not using anything higher than the beginning parts of her family style, thus no chakra network damage to her opponent. Ichi wasn't able to dodge but he did move his arm to block the blow. Hanabi added a sweeping kick which caught him off guard and made him fall over. She stopped and helped him up. "Boy, you need a lot of work with your taijutsu. Hasn't anyone been helping you in that area other than the academy teachers?"

"No. Ane-ue helps with ninjutsu, not taijutsu." The dark-haired boy answered.

"See if she can help you in taijutsu too. Ninjutsu alone won't help you if your opponent can get close to you like I just did. And random punches aren't that helpful either in a real fight. Try to get some more practice in." She then looked to Noburo. "Your turn."

Ichi went to go sit in the shade while Noburo took his place. Unlike his teammate, the blue-haired boy did have a set stance to start off with. Not the same one taught at the academy, but rather one that looked better suited to a judo specialist. Hanabi and he then started and he at least was able to block and take hits even if he couldn't make one with her. Hanabi noted his fighting style was more fluid and agile, similar to snake-style martial arts, but he tended to stay in one place like she did. She tried another sweeper kick but he jumped over it, only to knocked down when she swiftly turned and did the same move in the opposite direction as he landed.

"That's enough. You've got a good form and handle on it, but I get the feeling you don't use this style too much." Hanabi commented.

"It works best with my hair tactics or kenjutsu added in." Noburo told her.

Hanabi nodded in understanding. "Okay, so what you really need is more practice with it and maybe try to incorporate some motion into it as well. But so far so good." She then looked at Akane. "Your turn."

Noburo walked out of the way and Akane stepped up to her adoptive aunt. Her stance was very relaxed, like she was just there to enjoy herself, but Hanabi already knew this girl had some moves. Hanabi made the first move, but Akane mimicked it perfected and blocked it. The Hyuuga heiress tried another move but the redhead blocked it too. For both moves, Akane had used the juuken fighting style she learned from Hinata. And since Hanabi wasn't using the byakugan with it, she was actually giving the jounin a trying match. Then all of a sudden, Akane switched from Hinata's style to Naruto's style and managed to make Hanabi take a few steps back but not fall down.

"That's enough. I see you've had lots of training here, and you know how to improvise wisely, but you still have room for improvement." Hanabi claimed before things could get more heated. Losing a match here would have looked very bad for her.

"So what will you be teaching us then?" Noburo asked curiously.

"Good question. I'll have to focus my attention on taijutsu since that's my area of expertise, but it will be difficult for me to do so. What I use best is a clan style that can't be taught outside the clan. Biggest reason most Hyuuga don't become squad leaders." Hanabi explained.

"Then why did you?" Akane asked.

Hanabi shrugged nonchalantly. "I wanted to try something different. Plus, if I'm going to be clan head someday I'd like to have some experience leading others first. Anyway, by law I can't teach you everything I know, but I do know some things that can help you all better your combat skills. Also I can teach you some ninjutsu too, but genjutsu's not really my area so you'll have to try somewhere else for that one. Same with kenjutsu but I do know a few things about throwing weapons."

"Okay, now that that's covered let's get down to business. Go to a tree and do as many pull ups on a branch as you can, while holding a leaf to your forehead with chakra." Hanabi added and her students got up and went right to work as directed. Once she saw they got started and past three each she sat down and pulled out her novel again, munching on a stick of dango too.

'Damn, arms still hurt from earlier exercises.' Ichi thought as he reached fifteen.

'Good thing she got comfortable, cause I can do this for a while without needing to stop.' Noburo thought as he reached eighteen.

'If I earn my own spending money, will Okaa-san be upset if I spend some of it on ramen?' Akane thought as she reached twenty-two.

Ichi was the first to finish five minutes later, having reached forty even and wanting to stop. Noburo stopped when he felt a muscle lock up in his left arm at sixty-one. And Akane kept going until she reached seventy-five, but she could have done more. She felt if she did too many it would make her teammates feel inferior.

"So shall we continue or would you like to try your first D-rank now?" Hanabi asks.

"Mission definitely." Akane declared with energy to spare.

"Sure. I'd like to try something different." Noburo stated.

Ichi was silent, not sure what to say that hadn't already been said.

"Alright, follow me. And for the record, you're the ones who are going to do the actual work. I'm going to be along as supervision and to add a few tips if I see you need them." Hanabi told them before leading them to the hokage tower.

"Any idea what we're going to do?" Noburo whispered to his teammates.

"Hope it doesn't require heavy lifting." Ichi mumbled while massaging his arms.

"I just hope we don't have to chase down that infamous cat." Akane muttered as well.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Konoha's Mundane D-Rank Missions

Team 3 had been an official team for about five weeks now and had done nothing but D-ranks and physical workouts, with some team building exercises thrown in too. True to her word Hanabi focused mostly on taijutsu for her three genin, needing to give the most advice to Ichi. The boy had no real inability to learn hand-to-hand combat; it was more like he didn't have the stamina to keep it up, even for the academy standard. Boy must have passed based more on his academics than physical skills.

Akane and Noburo were doing well and had stamina to spare. Hanabi had already gotten a good enough overview of Noburo's clan style that she could give him helpful advice without just winging it. And she managed to get him to improve it by trying some techniques from Gai (thanks to Neji) that wouldn't require him to use his hair or stay in one place to fight. For Akane, the girl had a good understanding of the juuken but didn't use it as well as the Hyuuga heiress and was more comfortable using a feral brawler style similar to Naruto's. Hanabi only really needed to give her advice on how to maximize damage to others while minimizing damage to herself.

The worst part of their training was without a doubt the missions. Since Hanabi preferred taijutsu, she only got them the D-ranks that required a lot of physical effort. She at least didn't give them any weights to wear, at least not yet. But for now she made sure they got lots of exercise in various ways. "Keeps the body guessing" was the excuse she gave her students when they asked why she was doing this. Sometimes they got a chance to practice their ninjutsu to make the job easier, but Hanabi often told them specifically not to do so.

This time however would not be one of them. "Okay team, the mission we got now is to paint this old couple's house for them. They were kind enough to already have the supplies taken care of so we'll handle the labor."

"You mean we'll handle the labor while you sit back and watch right sensei?" Akane asked with narrowed eyes.

"Basically. I'll jump in if I feel one of you really needs a break, but only then. And for this job, you can use ninjutsu to make it go along faster. Try to be creative with it." Hanabi added.

"Why are you helping? You're part of the team too so shouldn't you have a part in this?" Noburo asked.

Hanabi shook her head. "Nope. Once I became a jounin I said goodbye to doing D-ranks ever again. Ask any jounin you know and they'll tell you the same thing."

"Not Gai-sensei." Noburo countered.

"So your best example is someone most people consider a little mentally off? Good argumentative skills kid." Hanabi replied sarcastically. "Now hop to it." She added seriously.

In no mood to keep arguing, the three genin turned away and each grabbed a brush. Akane was the first to incorporate ninjutsu into the job by creating over two dozen shadow clones and turning some of them into brushes and had some of them sit on the shoulders of others. Noburo briefly took his headband off and let his hair grow out four meters before putting it back on. He then used a jutsu that made his hair as usable as an octopus limb and grabbed several brushes, using his hair to reach the high places. Ichi didn't have any jutsu to make this job easier so he settled for personally taking care of the spots his teammates weren't focusing on.

'This could take a while.' All three thought simultaneously.

* * *

Two hours and fifteen minutes later they were done and feeling sore all over. Noburo felt the least sore since his hair did more than his body did, but he did feel somewhat chakra-depleted. "Hey, anyone know where sensei went off to?"

Akane and Ichi looked around, but didn't see her anywhere. "No. I didn't even notice she left."

"That would be a big mistake if you were on a riskier mission." Hanabi said as she approached from the other side of the house. It was upwind too so Akane couldn't smell her. "Before you ask, I was getting the signature to show we completed the mission and get you all something to drink." She gave them each a soft drink she knew they liked and all three guzzled them down swiftly. "Ready for another one, or some more regular training instead?"

"Day off?" Ichi weakly asked.

Hanabi shook her head. "Sorry kid but Labor Day's not for a few months. Got to keep doing something if you want to get any better."

"Yeah but we're not in any hurry are we?" Ichi asked.

"In a way you are. You wanna get to doing the more exciting stuff right? Then you need to hurry and get better." Hanabi responded.

"Don't forget we only have so long until the chuunin exams." Akane pointed out.

"Already thinking of being in that? My, eager aren't we?"

"You bet I am."

"You are aware you need my approval for entering, aren't you? And for the whole team nonetheless?" Hanabi asked.

"Yeah, and I fully intend for us to get it in time." Akane replied in all seriousness.

'Heh, Onii-san were you like this when you were a genin?' Hanabi asked herself, thinking about Naruto for a moment. "Anyway, regarding today, you guys up for another mission or just some workouts?"

"What kind of mission?" Noburo asked.

* * *

"Have you found it yet?" Noburo asked Akane, who was using the jutsu that enhanced her senses but required her to blindfold herself.

"Yeah, the target should be to our right inside the hollow part of a tree." The redhead answered.

"Piece of cake." Ichi commented as he walked to the mentioned destination.

"Um Ichi-kun, I didn't tell you which tree yet." Akane told the ROOT reject as she unblindfolded herself, making him stop in his tracks. "And we need to move quickly before it does."

Ichi sighed, then agreed, hoping this mission would have been easier on his body. "Why don't you get it? You're the fastest."

"Yeah but this is supposed to be a team effort." Akane countered. "I did the tracking so you two could at least handle the catching."

"You can draw it out while I trap it." Noburo said to Ichi.

"I see, but I still think my idea's the simplest." Ichi stated.

Akane sighed. "Fine, I'll do it all, but you owe me some ramen mister."

Ichi shrugged. "Fine." Akane then disappeared in a red blur.

"Dude, this is gonna cost you. I had to buy ramen for her once; cost me two week's allowance." Noburo warned his teammate.

'Maybe I made a mistake.' Ichi thought with a small amount of worry.

"Got it." Akane said as she swiftly returned, carrying a white cat with a little black around it's left back paw. "Definitely the one we're supposed to find."

"Doesn't look like such a terror." Ichi stated. The cat was resting peacefully in Akane's arms, completely countering it's reputation as the bane of today's D-Rank acceptors.

"I've got a way with animals." Akane told them. "C'mon let's take this guy back and collect our pay. And you still owe me some ramen for making me do all the work Ichi-kun." She licked her lips to show she wasn't kidding.

'Considering the alternative, it may be an even trade.' Ichi thought, glad he didn't have to deal with the hassle of this mission.

This particular mission had been officially declared as 'Retrieve the Fire Daimyo's Wife's Cat Unharmed' and had been around for ages. The original cat involved, a black one named Tora, had died years ago, although no one really believed it had died of old age. The pudgy woman who owned it had gotten a new cat, a white one she named Shishi, and it quickly took Tora's place for Akane's generation. Although in all fairness, Shishi and Tora weren't the only cats genins had to chase down. Sometimes the Anbu let a cat lose into the forest on purpose just to give the genin something to do, calling it a rite of passage mission. The daimyo cats were simply the most famous/infamous of them all and no one really wanted to deal with them.

* * *

"Here's your pet." Akane said to the Fire Daimyo's wife as her team entered the hokage tower. The cat started to squirm at the sight of the porty woman with a vicelike grip, but Akane managed to hand it over before it could dart out of her hands.

"Oh thank you. I just hate it when my little Shishi scampers away like that." The royal woman replied kindly as she started hugging the cat, not realizing she was inadvertently crushing it.

"Um ma'am, if you stop trying to kill your cat like that he might stop trying to escape you." Akane said somewhat bluntly but as kind as she could.

"What?" The daimyo's wife asked, as if she had heard wrong.

Everyone in the room started to pay attention now. Everyone of them had been thinking what Akane just said, sometimes more than once, but out of fear of offending an influencial person with powerful connections they never actually said anything on the subject. And now one genin had the courage to do it? It looked like Akane was just as surprising as her father.

"She meant no offense ma'am." Hanabi said, trying to salvage the situation. Noburo and Ichi wisely chose to keep their mouths shut.

"I'm just saying that maybe your pet runs away because he doesn't like how tight you hug him. It does look more than a little painful to me." Akane added, ignoring her teacher's efforts.

'Akane-chan you better know what you're doing here.' Hanabi thought. 'This woman comes here every two weeks to ensure the village is going smoothly and ensures we keep our funding from the daimyo himself. Offend her and we may lose a lot of finances.'

"You've got some nerve telling me the way I treat my Shishi is wrong little girl." The daimyo's wife stated with a small frown.

Akane looked undaunted. "Tell me, is that a living animal you're holding, or a stuffed animal?"

The royal woman blinked several times in confusion. "Living, of course."

"Then it can feel pain and discomfort. It's not a teddy bear where you can squeeze it all you want and it won't mind. That cat's a living creature and maybe you should start taking it's own comfort into consideration too if you want it to stop running away." Akane responded.

"I do. I make sure he's fed well and has a comfortable place to sleep." The daimyo's wife countered irritably.

"And that's it? As long as it's not starved or something you think you're doing a great job at taking care of it? If that were true, then why does he keep running away?" Akane asked, and got no answer. "All I'm asking is that you at least hold your pet like you would your child. Then maybe he will want to stay with you."

The portly woman just kept frowning at the redhead, and then Hanabi butted in again. "Sorry to bother you, but could you sign this saying we completed the job?" She offered up the mission scroll and got it signed. The daimyo's wife then walked away and Hanabi turned to sternly look at her student. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"Yeah, I hopefully made it so we and the other teams won't have to deal with 'Capture the Cat' so much anymore. After all, no one really likes that job."

"Hey, little girl." One of the chuunin who handed out mission assignments to genins said as he casually approached her. "I just gotta say that was great. I've never seen anyone with the guts to tell that woman that. You're going to do just fine if you've got that kind of nerve."

"Don't encourage her." Hanabi told the chuunin.

"Did you forget who my father is sensei? I don't need help to be encouraged." Akane replied.

"In that case I think you need one more for today." Hanabi told her niece then looked to the chuunin. "Got any more for today?"

"Well, off the top of my head, one woman wants her garden weeded, and a farmer wants some manure shoveled and taken to another farm. Let me check the rest."

Hanabi smiled a wicked grin. "Maybe the manure one would be good for them."

They all looked horrified, but Akane was the most bothered. "Pleases, anything but that sensei. It'll be murder on my nose."

"Sometimes you gotta deal with inconveniences when you're on the job kiddo. We'll take it."

Akane frowned. 'Oh, you are so going to pay Obasan. You're definitely my next victim.'

* * *

"I'm back Otou-sama." Hanabi said as she entered her house later that night.

"Welcome back Hanabi. Everything go okay today?" Hiashi asked, marking his place in the book he was reading.

"Sort of. Akane-chan actually backtalked to the Fire Daimyo's wife about how she treats her cat."

Hiashi arched his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yes. And even thought she only said what we all were thinking, it was a bit unorthodox and risky. So I had her handle manure as punishment, considering how good her nose is." Hanabi answered with a smirk, then quickly lost it. "Speaking of which, if you don't mind I would really like to take a bath so I can get the odor off myself as soon as possible."

"Go ahead." The Hyuuga head said.

Hanabi went to one of the bathing chambers, undressed and scrubbed herself, and then soaked in the furo. "Ahh... so much better. But it could be more relaxing." She grabbed a container of bathing salts and poured some into the water.

Meanwhile, a young girl dressed in red watched all this from a branch with some binoculars, and smirked mischieviously. 'Ha. Gotcha Obasan. Let's see how you like bathing in itching powder.' She then dashed out of there before anyone could stop her.


	8. Chapter 8

_Kishimoto has really made it harder for us fanfic writers recently by telling us the details of Naruto's birth and Kyuubi's involvement with Konoha. Those of you who are up to the Kushina arc should know exactly what I mean. For those of you who aren't, I won't spoil it for you. Hopefully I can work some of that history into here later on without destroying what I've already established._

Chapter 8: The First C-Rank Mission For Team 3

A week later Team 3 met up at their usual spot at their usual time, but for some reason Akane wasn't present. Hanabi was suspicious, considering the girl's reputation and the fact that the trick with the itching powder still made her tense up. Because of it she felt like her skin was on fire and she had to give her team the next day off because of it. Now she couldn't prove it was Akane who set that up, but who else could it possibly be? No one could pull a prank like that better than Akane Uzumaki.

The aforementioned prankster came up to her team about ten minutes after the appointed time, and she looked like she had something unpleasant on her mind for once. "Hey guys." She greeted with a half-hearted wave.

"You're late." Ichi stated.

"Otou-san wanted to talk to me for a bit first. So I came to tell you guys that we have a chance for a C-Rank now if you're interested." Akane replied.

"Really? What is it?" Noburo asked, all ears.

"Otou-san can explain it better than me." Akane replied, then faced Hanabi. "Oh, Obasan, he also said I'm going on this with or without the team, but I can still invite you all along if you feel we all can handle it. What do you think?"

Hanabi was very curious. Mainly because she knew how much her niece had been looking forward to this opportunity and yet she seemed so... unattached to the whole thing. What could she have possibly seen or heard that would cause such a thing? "I think I do want to hear the details to this. Already everyone, let's go see the hokage."

In no time, the team was in the office of the hokage. Naruto and Hinata were there, with Naruto at his desk and Hinata standing next to him, which was no surprise at all to Hanabi. But what did surprise her was the presence of Tsunade standing at Naruto's other side for once. "Ah good, you're all here. So I take it you've accepted the mission?" Naruto greeted.

"Not quite Hokage-sama. Your daughter here hasn't given us all the details. Just informed us of the opportunity." Hanabi answered.

"Okay, I'll explain then. Because of a connection I have to Land of Demons, I need to go there for a few weeks to attend something rather important, and I'm taking my whole family with me. And since that includes Akane-chan, I thought I could at least offer her team the chance at a C-Rank mission to guard us all. It's only C-Rank because I'm not expecting anything bad to happen. Baa-chan here will sit in for me until I return." Naruto explained.

Hanabi's eyes widened, but not in anticipation. "That's it? No offense Hokage-sama but that sounds rather reckless and not fully thought out."

"I've got my bases covered." Naruto replied. "I'm going to have Sakura-chan and Lee come too as guards, since they've been to the country before. That will prove helpful in my opinion, as will their skills. Also I'm not entirely defenseless myself so the way I see it things shouldn't get out of hand."

"Two chuunin? Is that really wise?" Hanabi asked.

Naruto nodded. "They may only be chuunin, but it's not because of lack of skill. Far from it." The main reason Lee wasn't jounin was because he was limited to solely taijutsu, and for Sakura it was because she preferred staying within Konoha so a promotion was unnecessary. "Heck, the only reason your sister here is chuunin and not jounin is because she's happy with her rank as it is." Naruto added with a gesture towards Hinata, who chose to stay chuunin so she could have more time with her children. Although technically as a retired ninja she had no official rank anymore.

"So basically we'll have three chuunin, two of which are battle-ready, one genin, and, if I accept, one jounin and two more genin guarding the hokage for a trip to another country when there's no real obvious danger. Sounds like it's handled to me." Tsunade added.

"Me too. Can we go sensei?" Noburo asked.

Hanabi gave him an impartial look, then swifted her gaze to her other male student. "Ichi, what do you think?"

The boy was somewhat conflicted about it. On the one hand, this sounded a little harder than everything he had already experienced and he didn't want to look bad in front of the hokage. On the other hand, even he was tired of doing what amounted to voluntary community service so much. "If everyone else is so sure, then I'm willing to try."

"In that case Hokage-sama I guess we will take the mission. May I ask what exactly is our destination and reason for being there?" Hanabi stated and asked.

"Basically we're going to go see... a certain friend of mine who I need to pay a visit to really soon." Naruto answered, looking a little bothered he did.

"A certain friend?" Hanabi asked, then something in her mind clicked. "Wait you mean...?" Hinata nodded. "I see. Well, we won't disappoint. Alright team you heard the hokage. Pack for an out-of-town trip that should take... how long?"

"Two weeks, counting travel time. Three at most." Hinata answered. "And we'll leave this afternoon at 3:00."

"Alright. We'll be ready by then. C'mon team, time to get ready for a long trip. I'll show you what to pack." Hanabi told her students as she led them out the door. But she didn't leave with them; instead, she stayed inside the office to ask one more question. "You really think it's a good idea for Akane-chan to come along on this particular mission? Because if I remember correctly, she wasn't too happy last time this subject came up."

Hinata was the one to answer. "Do you think it's a better idea to leave her without us in the village for half a month?"

"Touché." Hanabi replied. "Last time you tried that she tried to literally paint the town red."

"So as her sensei, keep her occupied and her mind off other things on this trip." Naruto added with a light teasing grin.

"You make it sound so easy Onii-san." Hanabi mumbled as she left to go help her students.

* * *

"Something wrong Akane-chan?" Noburo asked a few hours later while they were waiting to leave near the stand next to one of the villages gates. Izumo and Kotetsu had already made some small-talk with them but didn't have much to say anymore. Noburo checked his watch and saw it was 2:55 so any minute now they would be going. He told Neji and Tenten about this mission and both were happy for the boy and warned him to be careful and do exactly as he was told.

The redhead sighed and looked away. "I'm fine."

"Yeah right. If you really were fine you'd be too hyper to even chew ramen. I actually saw you take your time at Ichiraku's today. Something is very wrong." Noburo countered, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

Akane gave him a stern but not hateful glare. "Just drop it okay! This doesn't concern you."

He decided to say no more. 'Maybe she's got some sort of past issue with this mission. I know I wouldn't be excited to go back to one of those places Ryuutake make me go years ago.' He took a deep breath and looked around. "Hey, where's Ichi? Shouldn't he be here too?"

Akane snapped out of her funk and looked around too. Even sniffed a bit, but there was nothing on the wind she wanted to smell. "No idea. Maybe he's just a slow packer. You gotta admit speed doesn't seem to be one of his strong points. And maybe sensei's with my parents getting them ready."

"You gonna be riding with them or out here on the job with us?" He asked.

Akane shrugged. "Why not both? I technically count as both the guard and the guarded."

"You can't be in two places at once." Noburo objected.

Akane smirked and made a shadow clone. "You do know who you're talking to, right?" Both said in tandem, making Noburo groan and smack his forehead in defeat.

"Why, oh why didn't I see that coming?"

After he said that and Akane chuckled, a wagon drawn by some horses showed up near the gate. Steering the horses were Sakura and Lee. "Finally ready?" Akane asked while her clone dispersed.

"Yeah. Your father just had to get one more thing taken care of." Sakura answered.

"Just how much preparation goes into an out-of-village mission?" Noburo asked anyone who would answer.

Apparently Akane chose to be the one to do that. "Remember Noburo-kun we are guarding the hokage and his family on a trip to another country. Many bad guys out there would love to take this opportunity to somehow profit themselves if they found out. Robbing, kidnapping, ransom, you name it. The hokage may be very powerful, but they're also often targeted, and especially those close to them. Status often attracts anyone wanting to make a name for themselves for whatever reason. So it's better to be safe than sorry here, even if this trip isn't going to be announced."

Noburo looked impressed by her answer. "Really? How would you know that?"

"Of course. I'm going to be hokage someday so I need to know about stuff like that."

"Are we riding in that?" Noburo asked.

Hanabi walked into view along with Naruto, Hinata, their son, Ichi, and Ichi's older sister Dansue. "Actually, since we're on guard duty we have to stay outside. That means walking alongside fast enough to keep up or riding on the top."

"But I can go inside when I want to." Akane told Noburo to rub it in playfully. When he frowned at her she just stuck her tongue out.

"Settle down kids." Naruto told them. "This is your first serious mission, and I expect you to be serious about it. And I'm going to be watching the whole time."

"Ok. By the way, what's she doing here?" Akane asked, motioning towards Dansue, who looked exactly the same as she did four years ago.

While appearance-wise still the same, over the years Dansue had become a different person than the one she had been when she came back to Konoha four years ago. Back then she and Ichi had been unsuccessful and involuntary attempts to become ROOT shinobi and kept locked away from Konoha, until Sasuke and Madara Uchiha used them in a plan to get Naruto away from Konoha. The two ROOT rejects had been apprehended and taken into custody, where they learned they had been tricked.

Dansue and Ichi were both ultimately imprisoned for abiding a traitor and disturbing the peace. But due to leniency from the hokage and good behavior while in custody, Dansue got a reduced sentence and Ichi was just under a sort of house arrest for six months. During that time psychologists were able to help the young boy overcome his fears and mental problems so he could function in society. As for Dansue herself, once she got out she practically insisted on working directly under Naruto, the one she praised for being responsible for getting rid of Danzou. So now, after a period of being under supervision for potential suspicious activity, she worked as an Anbu guarding the city while having a side job at Konoha's electric plant. Her inability to be hurt by high voltage really came in handy there at times.

"I promised her that when her little brother had his first mission outside the village she could go along. There are several reasons for it but that can wait for later." Naruto said before he opened the door on the wagon. "Come on, let's get going."

He helped Hinata and Jiraiya enter before himself. Akane was about to enter too but Hanabi stopped her. "Not so fast little girl. You're starting out this mission just like the rest of us. That means outside and walking." The redhead groaned but instantly obeyed. "We'll set ourselves up this way. Me and her will take the back guard." She said, indicating Dansue. "Akane-chan and Noburo will take up front guard, and Ichi will ride on top of the carriage. This way we should be able to see anything incoming and retaliate appropriately."

"And we'll have the horses go slowly so you kids can keep up." Sakura added.

'Not really a problem for me, but alright.' Akane thought.

After getting into position, with Akane and Hanabi on the right side of the carriage, Noburo and Dansue on the left, and Ichi on top, the wagon and everyone with it started off towards Land of Demons.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: On The Way To Land Of Demons

The beginning of the trip went on in dead silence for several hours, which was probably the best thing for them. However, it quickly got on Akane's nerves. The fact that she was grumpy about something and it was a rather warm day did little to make her feel better. She didn't want to complain and appear immature, but she felt she had to do something soon.

'Well, I can at least take care of the heat.' She quickly thought. Being careful in case anyone was watching, she faked a hand sign and used her transformation skill, only this time on just her clothes. Normally this was difficult for a ninja, but fortunately when Tsunade had her jumpsuit made it was specifically mended with this in mind. Therefore, Akane could change her outfit without having to apply the transformation technique to her whole body with it and waste chakra. So after a brief second Akane's clothes changed from a red-and-black jumpsuit to a casual outfit consisting of a red t-shirt with a black skirt, allowing her to cool off some.

Sakura and Lee saw this and were impressed. "Wow. How'd you do that?"

Akane just shrugged nonchalantly. "Just one of my talents."

"I see. Anyway, that looks so much better than what you were wearing before." Sakura commented. "Why do you wear that thing anyway?"

"Because Baa-chan gave it to me and I think it looks good."

"You are definitely your father's daughter." The pink-haired medic said to herself.

Akane turned to face said medic with a confused look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means what it sounds like kid. Now focus on the road ahead."

Akane sighed and faced forward again. 'I just don't get her.'

More time went by with little fuss. They didn't stop all day even to eat for lunch, which was mostly ration bars made to be eaten on the go anyway. Ichi pulled out an umbrella to give himself some shade, Dansue hummed softly to amuse herself, and Sakura and Lee made light conversation with each other, but mostly nothing else happened until it was time to camp for the night.

When the sun started to set, everyone decided to call it a day and relax. Sakura untied the horses from the wagon and tied them up to a nearby tree while Lee placed some blocks under the wagon wheels to keep it in place. Naruto and Hinata stepped outside with their son, anxious to stretch their legs a bit. Noburo practically collapsed on the ground while Akane just sat down slowly, wincing because of her tired muscles.

"Enjoying your first mission outside the village?" Hanabi asked playfully.

"Not bad so far." Ichi answered as he got down off the roof with the help of his sister.

"Can't complain." Noburo stated. 'It's boring, but better than what I used to do.'

"Technically it's not my first, but so far so good I guess." Akane told her aunt.

"What was your first?" Noburo and Ichi asked.

Akane looked at her parents for a moment before turning back to her teammates. "Sorry, I kinda promised not to talk about it."

"Hey Akane-chan, can you hold your brother for a bit while I get dinner started?" Hinata asked.

"Sure Okaa-san." The redhead answered as she got up and took Jiraiya from her arms. "Miss me Rai-chan?"

"Fox?"

"Sorry otouto, not now. Bad idea." She didn't really want to do that game in front of everyone. She'd be too embarrassed.

"Why?"

Akane sat down next to Naruto. "Can you entertain him?"

"What do you think I was doing inside the wagon all day? I'm beat."

"Wow, the hokage beaten by a three year old? Wait until I tell everyone." Sakura said cheerfully.

"Just wait until you have a kid then tell me how much energy you have." Naruto replied.

"Sorry Naruto, but I'm not in a hurry for that. Tsunade-sama showed me plenty of things about pregnancy and birth years ago. I'm in no hurry to experience that."

"It does have it's downsides, no question, but I believe the result is definitely worth it." Hinata stated while she pulled out some food from their storage scrolls.

"Want some help?" Dansue asked. "I'm a pretty decent cook."

"I suppose." Hinata answered kindly. "I'm going with some simple stew as the main course. Know how to prepare that?"

Dansue nodded. "Had it all the time years ago. I can make this stuff with my eyes closed." She got started peeling the potatoes while Hinata chopped some leeks.

"Want some help?" Naruto asked.

"Just keep an eye on the kids koiishi." Hinata answered.

"Fox?" Jiraiya asked again with a hint of a whine threatening to start.

Akane sighed in defeat. "Alright fine." But instead of transforming herself, she created a shadow clone and had it change into a red fox for Jiraiya to chase around. As long as they both stayed in view of the group that is. The young boy sure was enjoying being able to wander around finally after being cooped up all day. "Man I'm tired from walking all day."

"Oh it gets even better tomorrow. Because then I'm going to have you three work on chakra control exercises the entire time." Hanabi said, making all three of her students practically faint from exhaustion. She lightly laughed, remembering a similar experience when she was a genin.

"Well at least we're not doing D-ranks for a while. Noburo mumbled.

"Yeah I know they're not the most fun thing in the world to do, but you kids don't realize how important they are to do." Naruto commented.

"How important?" Ichi asked, curious what the hokage had to say. Like his surrogate sister, he had a lot of respect for Naruto.

"The most obvious reasons are they give you exercise and a chance to earn money. They free up your time to train more and try out your skills in new situations. And you may not have noticed yet, but sometimes D-ranks help you acquire civilian skills which greatly helps out."

Noburo looked confused. "Why would we need civilian skills? We're ninja."

"Think about it Noburo-kun." Akane interjected. "On some missions we may have to pretend to be civilians so our target or enemies don't suspect something. And what about when you're older? Don't you want something to do when you're not being a ninja? Look at the Yamanaka's, they're ninjas but they have something on the side too."

Naruto nodded. "She's right. If for some reason you end up deciding to retire from being a ninja, or don't get the call of duty often enough to live off it alone, it helps to have something else to do and D-rank missions expose you to such possibilities."

"Then it's a good thing you did become hokage instead of the taking one of the jobs we had to do back then. You probably would have gotten fired within a week." Sakura mentioned without any ill intent.

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. Can you imagine if I'd chosen to work with dogs instead?"

Sakura laughed, remembering how a big dog dragged Naruto into a minefield and yet Naruto was the only one hurt. "You would have been much better off as a painter instead."

Naruto shrugged. "In the end, what we do have is probably what's best."

"That's true." Lee said. "I'm happy with my dojo and Sakura-chan's happy with her medic career. I can't think of a single one of our friends who isn't enjoying what they do now."

"I can. Kiba-ojisan." Akane said with a mean smirk.

"What makes you say that?" Sakura and Lee asked.

"Let me guess." Naruto said before Akane could. "You left a shadow clone to do a prank and Kiba happened to be the victim." Akane nodded.

"How did you know that?" Sakura asked.

Naruto grinned. "I did the same thing when we left for Wave, but Chouji happened to be the target that time. Figured it would be fun to let everyone know I could still prank them even if I wasn't there to do it."

"How could I resist?" Akane asked.

"You're my daughter. You couldn't" Naruto answered, and both laughed.

'Are those two really not related by blood?' Sakura asked herself, not for the first time.

"Dinner's done." Hinata told everyone.

"Finally. I'm starving." Noburo stated.

Dinner was nothing extravagant, but it filled them up. During the course they made small talk, with the genin sometimes trying to impress the adults with their skills and accomplishments. The presence of the hokage probably encouraged them to try and sound notable. Noburo felt a little uncomfortable since everyone had someone to sit with but him, but he didn't call attention to it.

After they finished eating it was time to set up the tents. The thing was that only two tents were needed and each only held two people. Since there needed to be guards during the night that wouldn't be much of a problem. Also, the seats inside of the wagon converted to make a bed big enough for four so some could sleep in there too. Naruto and Hinata volunteered for the first watch since they hopefully wouldn't need to be active tomorrow. Akane slept inside the wagon with Jiraiya so he wouldn't be fussy. She also used her transformation technique to turn her clothes into pajamas to make herself more comfortable.

* * *

The rest of the trip took a little less time than expected. Since no one knew the hokage was traveling, they attracted little attention. It also helped that the road they used usually attracted little attention from lowlifes.

Hanabi kept her students active by working on chakra control exercises while they walked, and occasionally some upper body exercises. She made Ichi walk just as much as his teammates, which made him worn out but everyone noted his stamina was increasing. When they came to stops for breaks or sleep she made sure they had some spars too. Nobody complained because they didn't want to look lazy or childish in front of the hokage.

On the day they finally reached their destination, they weren't really expecting much. Actually the genin didn't know what to expect at all. Even Akane, who had issues with this one, didn't know exactly what to expect once she was there. But nevertheless, what she and her teammates saw saw at first was definitely not something they were prepared for. And neither were the adults.

They had arrived at the most famous shrine in the Land of Demons, a place only Naruto, Sakura, and Lee had already been too. They weren't expecting it to look any different than the last time they were here; after all it was a historical building and those tended to remain the same throughout the years. But now, there was definitely something different about it, and not in a good way.

For one thing, there wasn't supposed to be a large amount of dead bodies lying on the ground, some dressed in armor and others in jounin attire. The walls guarding the state weren't supposed to have gigantic holes in them with rubble on the inside. There wasn't supposed to be a large number of crows, rats, and flying insects looking for rotting meat to snack on. And there weren't supposed to be any stray small fires burning in several places, threatening to eventually get larger and turn the whole place to ash. Nope, none of that was supposed to be here to greet the Konoha travelers, and yet that's exactly what they got.

'What the hell happened here?' was the collective thought of everyone looking at the remains of some obvious carnage.

Akane was bothered for two reasons. One, this had been downwind so there was no way she could have smelled the dead bodies or anything else, and she wondered if that had been planned or was just coincidence. And two, Naruto was going to be very unhappy if the worst case scenario proved true, and in all honesty, Akane admitted she would be unhappy too.

Naruto stepped out and gazed upon the ruins. Instantly he created about four hundred clones and had them check for any survivors or enemies. Then he, Hanabi, Sakura and Lee went to get a closer look at the wreckage. Hinata stayed by the wagon holding Jiraiya, trying to prevent him from looking at something she didn't want him to see. Akane soon followed her father, and then her teammates followed her, wanting to see for themselves what happened.

Sakura made the first important discovery. "Naruto, Iwa nin were involved here." She showed him several Iwa hitai-ates remaining on some corpses. "And judging by the amount of decay, this probably happened three days ago, give or take maybe one day."

"Why would Iwa do this?" Lee asked.

Naruto and Akane shared a look. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She asked.

"Yes, and I hope we're wrong." He answered.

The main door to the shrine started to open, and everyone turned to anticipate an possible threat. Out came a young woman in her late twenties. She had brown hair held much like Ayame Ichiraku did, with a pink bandanna rather than white. She wore a white and teal nursemaid outfit showing she was a caretaker here. "Oh thank Kami, you've finally shown up. You are Naruto-sama, are you not?"

"Yeah that's me. What gives?" Naruto asked.

"Shion-sama needs you immediately. She's been moved away from here for her own safety. I was told to stay here and wait for your arrival. I can take you there right away."

"Then show us." Naruto told her.

Everyone went east of the shrine in a hurry led by the nursemaid, hoping to get some answers.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Hokage, The Priestess, And The Demon

The Konoha shinobi were led away from the shrine into an underground escape tunnel built for situations just like this. It was hard to see how far it went since it was dimly lit, making Dansue's body lightly glow, but it was free from damage so it was likely there were no threats there waiting for them. The nursemaid from the shrine was in front leading the way, holding a lit lantern for light.

"This way, milady would be in the retreat."

"The what?" Akane asked.

"It's a safe place designed to be used in the event of attacks on the shrine, to shelter the current priestess from harm."

"Konoha has something similar for the civilians in case of an invasion." Naruto whispered to his daughter, who nodded slowly.

"The attack would have gotten us by surprise had it not been for Shion-sama." The nursemaid added. "We took her to safety before the threat could get her, and some sentries stayed behind to guard the shrine and try to ward them off."

"Then what were you doing there?" Akane asked.

"Checking to see if anyone survived and needed help." She answered. "By the way, I'm Momo Chigawa."

"Why do you smell like honey, wax, and flowers?" Akane asked. "I haven't seen or smelled any of that stuff in the area. Flowers maybe but not the other stuff."

"It must be from a candle I had to carry last time to get to the shrine from here." Momo answered.

"How is Shion doing?" Naruto asked.

"Her condition's stable, but we're keeping a steady eye on her for obvious reasons." Momo told him. "Fortunately she got away unharmed."

"That's a relief." Naruto said.

"Any idea what might have motivated an attack on this place?" Hanabi asked.

Momo shrugged. "I can't say for sure. But according to one of the guards who fought and survived, he thinks he heard one of the Iwa ninja mention something about making use of Shion-sama's power."

"That makes sense." Sakura stated. "If you knew ahead of time the outcome of a battle, you'd know how to best prepare for it and which ones to avoid altogether."

"Then why did no one do this before?" Noburo asked.

"It has happened in the past." Momo told them. "But the priestess is always heavily guarded by those willing to sacrifice their lives to keep her and her gift safe. Besides, I think most ninja are more interested in skills that are more effective on the battlefield than off it. And Shion-sama's gift isn't something she had consciously choose to yield when the moment strikes her so it has little application when actually on ninja jobs."

"Makes sense. It's better to know the future before you head off to battle in the first place rather than when you're actually there." Sakura noted.

"Anything about the Iwa nin we should know about?" Naruto asked.

Momo thought it over. "Sorry, nothing specific comes to mind. One of them did like to use explosives though, if that helps." A door came into sight in front of them. "Ah, we're here." She pulled out a key and opened it.

On the other side there was a large room with white walls and four black doors, two on each of the left and right walls. Standing in the room were several guards dressed just like Naruto, Sakura, and Lee remembered them, all holding spears but none acted like they were expecting a fight anytime soon. Probably because none of their enemies were supposed to know where this place was or that it even existed.

One of them seemed to recognize Naruto and came to greet him. "It's good you showed up. Shion-sama has been waiting for you. The stress of everything recently hasn't been good for her health so I hope you can soothe her."

"I'll give it my best." The blonde said with a nod.

The guard opened the last door on the left. "She's in here, waiting for you. Perhaps you should go in first alone."

"Actually, it might be best if we all went in." Naruto countered.

"If you insist. I ask all of you to restrain yourselves in her presence."

They walked in to see a single large room with a large bed against the center of the back wall. There was more stuff in there like a couch and a small fridge, and a door to another room on the right wall. A bearskin rug was on the floor in front of the bed. And there was was a small dresser with a tv on top on it, which was currently turned off.

The door across the room opened, revealing a restroom on the other side, and Shion was the one to come out. "Uh... I hate how often I have to go now. This better end soon." She mumbled irritably before she realized she had guests now. "Wait, who...? Naruto-kun? Is that you?"

"Yep. Told ya I'd be showing up soon." He answered. "Everything alright?"

"As fine as I can be under the circumstances." Shion said while rubbing her enormously swollen stomach, which was the first thing everyone noticed about her. "Kid wasn't hurt, but seems to be a little more restless now."

"Mine was the same way at about that point." Hinata commented while shifting Jiraiya in her arms.

Shion smiled and sat on her bed. "Relax, get comfortable. No reason to be so tense now."

"Naruto, just what is going on here?" Sakura asked above a whisper with a hint of surprise and unease.

"You might want to sit down first. It's a bit of a long story." He told the pink-haired medic.

Hinata sat on the couch with Akane and Hanabi next to her. Sakura and Lee took the remaining seats on the couch. Dansue leaned against the wall with Ichi sitting on the floor at her feet and Noburo in front of Sakura and Lee. Naruto stood and faced them all. "So far only Hinata, Akane-chan, Baa-chan, and Shizune-neechan know what I'm going to tell you all. Hanabi."

"Is this about our last mission here?" Sakura asked, finding it hard to believe this would actually happen.

"Basically yes." Naruto told her. "For those of you not aware, years ago I was assigned on a mission with Sakura-chan and Lee to guard Shion-chan from someone who wanted to use and kill her. We succeeded, and when the mission ended Shion-chan here asked if I would be willing to help her continue the priestess line for the next generation." He paused to see if anyone this was new to could figure that out, which they did.

"And I agreed to do it. The problem was I didn't know what she meant. How could I? The academy wouldn't let me attend that lecture, probably because they didn't want me to ever reproduce, and even though I was surrounded by perverted sensei's, none of them ever actually told me the facts of life. Not even Ero-sannin. I didn't know any of that until baa-chan and Shizune-neechan sat me down and explained it to me, after I started dating Hinata."

He sighed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other at this point. "So because I married Hinata here, I felt I couldn't uphold my promise to Shion-chan here. It may have gone against my nindo, but being unfaithful to Hinata was even worse to me. Luckily me and Shion-chan reached an agreement regarding our situation and she absolved me of my ignorant promise." Shion nodded.

"At first this worked out, but occasionally I kept having problems for the past few years. Usually nights of insomnia, that started infrequently but kept becoming more common. And with me being unable to sleep regularly, it was affecting my job and my health." Naruto continued. "Doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me. You should remember that Sakura-chan."

"Yeah, I do. But you told me that was fixed earlier this year." She said.

"It was, but you were never told how." Naruto responded. "Inoichi-san took a look at me saying it might have been a mental thing instead of my body acting up. After a few sessions, he told me I felt guilty over refusing to keep my promise to Shion-chan. He said even though it was an ignorant promise, it was still a promise I made and I put a lot of value on those. He said my subconscious felt I was deliberately ignoring my own nindo and causing me grief over it, in the form of insomnia that would only get worse until I got closure on the subject. So to do so, I talked with Shion-chan earlier this year, and I think you can tell what we decided to do about it."

Hinata then stood up. "Before anyone says otherwise, I want you all to know that my husband came to me about this first and said he'd rather deal with some bad nights than hurt me like this. But to save his well-being, I had to consider this option. As much as I loved his faithfulness, I knew he needed to deal with this and this was the best way to do so."

"So you got her pregnant to ease your conscience about refusing to, but only after getting your wife's approval?" Dansue asked Naruto.

Naruto nodded. "That's pretty much it. And like Inoichi-san said, once I managed to fulfill my promise, my health and sleeping patterns normalized and I was back at the top of my game."

"The child's due to be born soon, and I wanted Naruto-kun here for it, since he won't get many opportunities to see her that often." Shion added.

"So the gender's confirmed?" Naruto asked.

Shion nodded. "Yes, I'm having a girl, the next priestess."

Naruto smiled. "Perfect."

Shion then looked at Hinata. "Can I see your child? I'd really like to see what a child of Naruto-kun's looks like and I need some practice for holding my own."

Sure." Hinata said while she moved to sit on Shion's side opposite Naruto and handed the priestess her son. "His name's Jiraiya."

"He's adorable. He looks just like his father, but with dark hair." Shion stated happily as the young boy gazed at her curiously. "How did you decide on his name?"

"Actually, he's named after one of my sensei's. But hopefully he won't become a pervert like his namesake." Naruto answered.

"I'm nodda pawvart, I'ma supa pawvart." Jiraiay said happily after hearing 'pervert'.

Naruto and Hinata looked embarrassed while Sakura looked mortified. Dansue and Hanabi tried to hide their chuckles while Lee, Noburo, and Ichi just looked surprised. Shion just smiled and laughed lightly, finding it funny that a kid would say that.

"Naruto, just what have you been teaching your son?" Sakura asked in a hostile way.

"Actually Sakura-san, it was my sister who taught him to say that." Hinata claimed with a defensive expression as she took Jiraiya back into her arms.

Hanabi laughed. "Yep, but it's funny to her him say that."

Naruto leaned in closer to his son. "How many times do I have to tell you don't say that?"

A knock at the door caught everyone's attention, and Momo entered. "Excuse me milady, but would you like something to eat?"

"Oh yeah it's lunchtime." Shion said. "Yes, I'll have a sandwich with some ramen if that can be done."

"Certainly." Momo answered.

"You have to deal with cravings for ramen too?" Hinata asked.

Shion nodded. "All the time. I honestly can't remember the last day I didn't get hungry for it."

"Same thing happened to me. I swear it's gotta be genetic." Hinata added. "And it's likely to happen again with Number 3." She rubbed her still mostly flat stomach with that last part.

"Would any of you ninja like some food or are you going to wait and take a look around like the other one?" Momo asked.

"Other one?" Dansue asked. "What other one? We're all here."

"Wait a minute." Naruto then looked around. "Where did Akane-chan go?"

Everyone looked to where she was supposed to be sitting only to find the spot vacant.

* * *

Akane was currently walking down the hall back towards the shrine, having told the guards in the shelter that she was going to take a look around for clues. So far she had yet to be followed. 'Wow, I'm actually surprised they didn't notice me get up and leave. I guess all the pranking and training made my stealth better than I thought.'

She got to the end of the hall and reemerged back into the temple. 'So Iwa decided to try something here? I wonder if any of them will try a second wave?'

She walked for a bit, but paused in her tracks, certain she had heard something else move. Slowly she turned her head and saw a large beetle on the ceiling behind her, but not any ordinary beetle. This one was the size of a rat and colored completely white, and it smelled like clay. Akane threw a kunai at it, and it exploded with the force of a paper bomb, knocking her off her feet.

"What the hell was that?" She groaned. Once the smoke cleared she saw several more of these beetles swarm into her view, some even coming from outside and the hole in the wal from the explosion. She groaned again. "This could be a problem."


	11. Chapter 11

_Sorry for the lack of frequent updates. Other storys just come more naturally to me now and the reviews I get for them are more motivating. To make it up to all of you who patiently wait for this one to be added to, I might introduce omakes in this story if enough want that._

Chapter 11: Akane Fights An Iwa Nin

Akane kept her eyes on all the approaching clay beetles, not sure how to get rid of them. 'If a kunai makes them explode it's likely any other weapon will as well. Not sure if my claws would be any different but might as well see.' She created a shadow clone with claws that attacked one of the beetles, and it exploded too, killing the clone. 'Ok, that didn't work, and the explosion there didn't trigger the other ones next it to explode too for some reason. What should I do here?'

Without any ideas, Akane resorted to going outside, hoping the beetles would follow her so the damage to the shrine wouldn't be increased. It worked as expected, but outside there were some clay pigeons that flew and hung in the air as if suspended by invisible wires. "Great, more clay animals that explode." She moaned, then her eyes lit up. 'Wait, why does that feel familiar to me? Like I've dealt with this before long ago?'

Some of the pigeons tried to impact her, but luckily Akane was swift enough to dodge them all. They exploded on contact with the ground or by chance contact with another pigeon. The damage was small but could prove bad to the area collectively. And not only that the beetles were trying to approach her, reminding her of an Aburame-style trap.

"Dang. Guess there's only one way out of this." Akane said before making her favorite hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Hundreds of Akane's filled the area and detonated all the clay animals, creating a huge cloud in the process that only a byakugan could see thru. Akane didn't wait for the smoke to clear and rushed to the roof of the shrine, coughing the whole way and once she came to a stop.

"My, you're more impressive than I thought." The voice of some man Akane didn't recognize told her from behind, making her turn around and pull out a kunai. She saw a man about as tall as Naruto with blonde hair that was a littler paler, as in more similar to Ino's shade of blonde, and shaped more like Gaara's. His eyes were a dull hazel and he looked to have a small mole underneath the left one. His outfit consisted mostly of a short-sleeeve purple mesh shirt with a black vest over it with the Iwa symbol on it, and navy blue pants with hiking boots. His hitai-ate was worn as a belt and bore the Iwa symbol. At his hips on both sides there was a bag with the smell of clay and gunpowder being quite dominant. But the most notable feature of all was the palms of his hands, which appeared to have mouths on them.

Akane saw that these mouths lacked lips but had flat teeth and tongues. 'How the hell does that work? Where does the tongue go when the mouth closes?' All she actually asked was "Who the hell are you?"

"Your enemy. That's all you need to know." He told her in a mocking manner. "But I suppose I'll be nice and give you my name. Call me Haiyou, if you live long enough to that is."

"Oh I have every intention of that. Believe it."

"In that case, let's make this fun." Haiyou said with a dreadful smirk and grabbed some more clay. Tongues came out of his palms and swallowed the clay before chewing it. The scene was so disturbing and disgusting to Akane that she inadvertently paused to watch it happen. Then the hands both spat out a miniature animal scultpure. The left hand made an eagle and the right hand made a panther. Haiyou then dropped them both and the clay figures grew to the size of their natural counterparts, although the eagle was probably at least three times bigger than a normal one.

The panther was the first to make a move and pounced at Akane. She quickly got out of the way but the eagle tried to catch her in it's claws. She backflipped out of it's reach but it didn't work and she got caught. When the clay talons tried to tighten their hold on her, she transformed into a small fox with one tail and slipped away. The panther tried to crush her but she ran under it so it couldn't make contact. Once she was in the clear she returned to her normal human appearance and pulled out a kunai. She threw it at the panther and it hit, but the clay beast didn't explode like the smaller ones did.

"Impressive feats for a leaf genin. You might be fun after all. But it's still not enough compared to my experience and talent." Haiyou commented.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet." Akane said, appearing from behind the Iwa nin.

"What? How did you...?" He asked in a mixture of shock and fear, turning behind himself.

Akane didn't answer. Instead she got out a kunai and jabbed it into the back of Haiyou's right hand. The piercing end of the weapon came out of the palm's mouth with some blood being spat out by it.

Haiyou screamed in pain and clutched his injured hand with his uninjured one. Akane tried to stab that one too but a clay snake got her and exploded. "Take that little bitch!"

"I'm over here." Akane said teasingly from behind the injured man, who turned to see her standing smugly. "Shadow clones are amazing things aren't they?" Haiyou could see another Akane still keeping the clay panther and eagle occupied.

"What the hell? Which one's the real one?"

The Akane closest to him laughed. "You didn't actually expect me to answer that do you?" She then grabbed a few shuriken and threw them at her target, hoping to damage his other hand. She missed, but one knicked the pouch on his side. It was too small for any clay to spill out though.

Using his good hand, Haiyou molded a large clay rhino which charged at the young girl. Both exploded on contact, showing she was a clone too. Maybe an explosive clone as well since the blast made even the Iwa nin lose his balance on the shingled roof of the shrine. Somehow minimal damage was done to the roof itself, but a few shingles and maybe a beam or two would have to be replaced later.

When the smoke cleared, Haiyo got back onto his feet and stared at the other side of the roof, where he saw about three dozen Akane's but no more panther and eagle. All the redclad girls smiled like a fox before charging at him with just there fists. However, once they tried to hit him, he used a large rock for a substitution jutsu, resulting in him escaping and several clones holding hurt hands.

The unhurt ones took positions around the roof's edge to try and locate him. They saw and smelled nothing. The real Akane tried something different, and placed her hitai-ate over her eyes and whispered the name of a jutsu. "Biding Wolf Jutsu." This particular technique was taught to her by her friend Shiba as one of the Inuzuka's extra tracking techniques. It heightened the senses of hearing and smelling to near super-canine even by Inuzuka standards, but required absolutely no use of the sense of sight. Opening the eyes immediately cancelled it out, as it would be considered overloading the brain's sensory processing. Blindfolding oneself was simply the best way to ensure the user didn't accidentally open their eyes.

She detected no trace of scent or sound coming from her designated target, so she sighed and she put her hitai-ate back on her forehead. "Dang, I lost him." All the clones dispelled and she jumped down to the ground. "Something about that guy seems familiar to me."

"What guy?" Hanabi's voice asked from out of nowhere, making Akane almost jump from the initial shock. She turned to see her aunt and father standing behind her.

"Some weird Iwa freak." Akane answered. "He had the weirdest hands I've ever seen, like something out of a cheesy horror movie."

Naruto looked bothered. "Weird hands?" Akane nodded. "By any chance, did they have mouths on the palms?"

Akane nodded again. "Yeah, and they came with tongues too, and chewed up clay and spat it out in the shape of animals which grew bigger and mobile. And explosive I should add."

Naruto palmed his face. "Dammit, not another one of those."

"You know this guy Niisan?" Hanabi asked.

"This particular guy, I sure hope not. But I have encountered someone with that exact same ability in the past. He's supposed to be dead now so most likely we're dealing with a relative of some sorts." Naruto explained. "After all, no one ever said that one guy I faced was the only one of his kind."

Akane then snapped her fingers. "No wonder he felt familiar. Now I remember you telling me about an old enemy of yours who did something like this. What was his name? Claydara? Gaydara?"

"Deidara. One of the Akatsuki. But he and all the others are dead now." Naruto told his daughter. "Did this guy hurt you Akane-chan?"

Akane shook her head. "Nope, but I managed to pierce one of his hands. That's gotta hold him up for some time."

"Good job. With any luck he won't show up until it's healed and that might take awhile considering how complex the internal structure of his hands must be." Hanabi added.

"So by then we'll be prepared for another attack." Naruto said, stating the obvious. "But we shouldn't go overboard so the shrine doesn't get more damaged than it already is."

"Why were you outside anyway Akane-chan?" Hanabi asked.

The young girl sighed and turned away with an upset look on her face. "Well, I already knew the story Otou-san was telling everyone, so I decided I could do something better than hear it again."

Hanabi could tell from her body language and tone of voice that this explanation wasn't a complete one. Before she could ask for more, Naruto shook his head no at her, silently but effectively telling the Hyuuga heiress to not push the issue further. She decided to abide his request, for now at least.

"Come on Akane-chan, let's go back inside. Don't want your mother to worry too much do you?" Naruto told his daughter.

"Then how am I supposed to do my job?" Akane asked as she followed him to the entryway. Before they opened it, something caught her eye. "Wait!" She shouted before dashing off to some shrubs.

"What is it?" Naruto and Hanabi asked as they caught up to her, seeing her pick some flowers.

Akane held them in her left hand, and used her right to brush away a bee that kept trying to hang around. "I just noticed some lavendars here. Thought they'd make Okaa-san feel better."

Naruto smiled. "Well they are her favorite flower, but what if you weren't supposed to pick those?"

Akane thought it over, and swatted the bee again. "It's already too late so what's the worst that can happen?"

Naruto shrugged. "You got me."

The trio proceeded to go back to the others in the bunker, with Akane making sure that annoying bee didn't follow them into the hallway. Once it closed, the flying insect flew off to parts unknown, where it would encounter Haiyou trying to mend his hand.

"Damn brat. This is going to take days to heal properly." He said bitterly to himself, then noticed the bee resting on the tip of his left boot. "Ah, a messenger from my partner. Tell them I won't be able to do anything until further notice. I could fight with my remaining hand I know, but I'd be at a huge disadvantage."

The bee then flew off, and later that night found it's way to a hidden member of the Kamizuru clan. The insect gave it's message to it's master, who was disappointed to hear the news. "Crap." They paused to take a deep breath. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to wait a little longer. But with these lousy leaf-nin around we can't be too careful."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: New Tricks From Team 3 And Old Wounds For One Member

The next morning Team 3 was outside but away from the shrine with both Hanabi and Naruto. Two of the three genin were nervous, wondering what the hokage wanted of them, while the third was just curious.

Naruto stood in front of them with his arms crossed, grinning friendly. Hanabi stood relaxed to his right. Akane, Noburo, and Ichi stood professionally before him, with Akane on the right side, Ichi on the left, and Noburo in the middle. The others in the group were busy elsewhere, with Sakura and Lee assisting the repairs on the shrine and Hinata and Dansue were keeping Shion company.

"Okay kids, while we're here, and it's obvious that you may get involved in a fight later, we should make sure you guys are ready for it. Do you all know some offensive maneuvers?" Akane and Noburo nodded, but Ichi didn't. "You don't?" Naruto asked.

"I do, somewhat. Just not sure it's good enough."

"That's what I'm here to see." Naruto told him. "I want to see what you guys can do if you have to fight the threat to the shrine. Show me something I'm not already aware you can do, if you can. One offensive and defensive technique each. You don't have to Akane-chan; I already know what you can do."

The redhead smirked like a fox. "Actually Otou-san, I do have something even you haven't seen yet."

"Really?" Naruto asked in a semi-sceptical way. She nodded, maintaining her grin. He then gestured to Ichi. "Why don't you start?"

"With which one?"

Naruto shrugged. "Doesn't matter unless one is dependent on the other being done first. So just go with whatever works for you." He then created a shadow clone. "Here's a test dummy for you to use them on."

Ichi then stepped away from his teammates and prepared himself for his demonstration. He made three hand signs. "Twilight Style: Blindfold Jutsu." The shadow at Naruto's feet crept upwards and covered his eyes like a solid mask.

Naruto dispelled the clone and gained the memory of it. "Hmm... so you blind the target by making it impossible for light to enter the eyes. Useful on all except those that have the byakugan, if I understand correctly."

Hanabi nodded. "Yeah, I personally tested that out myself some time ago. Other doujutsus should be affected though."

Naruto gave her a short nod to indicate he understood. "The only problems I see are that by itself it's only an inconvenience, and if it's too dark for there to be a shadow it may not work."

"That's why I use these." Ichi said as he pulled out a flare.

"Good idea. By the way, I've never heard of Twilight Style. Is that some sort of kekkei genkai?"

The ROOT reject shook his head negatively. "No, it's a special form of chakra molding I created years ago."

"You created it?" Naruto asked.

Ichi nodded. "Uses the yin-yang nature of chakra rather than elemental part. Yin part for shadows, yang part for light. Send type into shadow or light and then control. Requires great focus to use correctly."

"Sure sounds like it." Naruto replied. 'Hmm... so he's basically created his own unique jutsu styles and he should be able to teach it to his children. I just know the council will want this kid to start his own clan when he's older.' He then made another clone. "Okay, show me some kind of attack now."

'Better impress him. He is the hokage after all and Ane-ue thinks highly of him.' Ichi thought, then got an idea. He made two quick hand signs, and electricity appeared along his right arm. "Lightning Style: Lightning Spear Jutsu." The voltage fired off his arm and hit the clone just below the left lung, destroying it.

"Not bad. A basic lightning jutsu." Naruto complimented. 'He must have learned that from Dansue. I guess I shouldn't be surprised he would. I just hope he doesn't learn the chidori.' "That'll be enough for now."

Ichi stepped away to go sit down in the shade of a nearby elm tree. Noburo stepped forward with a confident expression. "Here's something you haven't seen yet." He took off his hitai-ate and let his hair grow out. When it reached his feet, he cut it off, put his headband back on, and did a single hand sign. This one had his right hand pointing straight up with his left hand grasping it around the palm. "Hair Clone Jutsu." The hair pile on the ground rose and turned into a copy of Noburo standing next to him.

Naruto and Hanabi were impressed. "That could come in handy. Tell me, does the amount of hair affect it at all?" Hanabi asked.

Noburo nodded. "Yeah, the more I use the more versatile it is. This one could probably take one hit then crumble."

"So the more hair you use the more hits it can take?" Naruto asked. Noburo nodded. "Not bad. I'd consider that a defensive jutsu for this. Now try an attack."

Noburo dispelled his clone, making it return to a pile of hair. He pulled out a storage scroll and sealed it away, earning him a few confused looks. "I don't always get the chance to grow my hair out so it helps to store what I've already cut off. I should have enough here to make five good clones with my current chakra levels."

"Can you use that hair for something besides clones?" Hanabi asked.

"Actually yes." He said before unsealing some and throwing the pile into the air in front of him. He quickly made two hand signs. "Ninja Art: Hair Senbon Shockwave Jutsu." The cut hair turned into hundreds of needlesharp projectiles and turned Naruto's newest clone into a human pincushion.

"Not bad. Nice to know your hair doesn't have to remain connected to your head to be used."

"I'm glad you approve of my skills Hokage-sama." The blue-haired boy politely told his village's leader.

Naruto made a new clone, and faced his daughter. "Now, what's this thing I don't know you can do?"

Akane stepped towards him. "Keep in mind I haven't perfected it yet." She did the rat sign then added the cross sign standard for the shadow clone jutsu. She didn't call out a jutsu name, but three clones appeared around herself. "Try and kill these Otou-san. The trick for these clones is when they're attacked."

Naruto's clone pulled out a kunai and with it swiftly eliminated all the extra Akane's. But four seconds after he did, they reappeared. And if that wasn't bad enough, he clearly saw Akane didn't use any hand signs to make more. Not thinking much of it, the Naruto clone just killed them all over again. And four seconds later, they reappeared again and this time ganged up on him. With three strong well-placed punches, the Akane clones destroyed the extra Naruto.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

Akane got rid of the clones like she was releasing a genjutsu. "It's something I came up with. I call it the Repeat Shadow Clone Jutsu. It's a pain to make clones over and over again, so I modified the jutsu to do that part for me. A few seconds after the clone is destroyed, the chakra that made it reforms into it over and over again. It won't stop until I specifically make it stop, and only then do I get the memories of the clones, which aren't bothered by the repeated 'deaths'."

Naruto looked at her with wide surprised eyes. "Akane-chan... that is brilliant! And you created it yourself?"

She nodded. "Yep. I'm still fine-tuning it though. I still can't make more than three at a time with it, and I'm hoping to minimize the time between death and reforming more."

"Got one more?" Her father asked.

"Yeah, but I promised Baa-chan not to use it just yet." Akane said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What did she show you?"

"I can't tell you. She wants me to save it for the chuunin exams or if someone's life is in danger."

"Okay then. That'll be enough from you then. So now, you three do as your sensei says. I'm going to go check on the priestess now." He then left to go back inside the safe haven, leaving Hanabi with the three genin.

She put her hands on her hips. "Okay, since you all seem to have a good grasp on ninjutsu, let's have a taijutsu match. You three against me."

Ichi moaned. "Doesn't seem like a fair fight."

"Hmm... I guess you're right. Maybe I should fight with my eyes closed. That should even the odds a little." Akane just frowned at her aunt. "Are you going to get started, or should I?"

* * *

Time went by with everything going well for the Konoha shinobi. So far the Iwa nin called Haiyou had yet to make a reappearance in six days, but they were still on alert for him. The shrine was almost completely repaired now with two expert clone users providing helping hands. And Shion was getting closer to her due date.

Speaking of which, at noonish on the sixth day there, Akane was currently tending to the pregnant priestess, while keeping an eye on her brother. Hanabi was giving Ichi some some taijutsu instructions with Dansue's help. Naruto and Hinata were having some private time, as were Sakura and Lee. Noburo was helping the repairmen with some last minute details.

Since it was lunchtime the two girls were eating ramen together, allowing Akane to relax around Shion. Jiraiya was in her lap and begging for some noodles. She gave him some of the shorter ones so he wouldn't get a lot of broth on his face.

"You're pretty good with him." Shion complimented the kunoichi.

"Thanks. I always try to be a good sister to my brother." Akane said without actually looking at the priestess.

"That's good. I'm sure you'll be just as good to your half-sister too." Shion said. She noticed Akane kept her eyes down. "Is something wrong?"

Akane slumped her shoulders, the weight of her discomfort bearing on her since the mission started. Now she just wanted to get it out of her system. "It's just... I feel like you're trying to come between my parents."

"I'm not. I'm honestly glad your father could find love with your mother. I'm not asking for you to call me your stepmom or anything."

Akane put down her bowl and slowlt made eye contact with the blonde woman, her own eyes looking a little saddened. "Good, because I don't and can't see you that way. And asking me to would have been too much to expect."

"Is that what's been bothering you? You've been worried I was trying to usurp your mother?" Shion asked.

Akane turned back towards her brother, who was taking some of the noodles out of her bowl and getting them and the broth everywhere now. She pulled it out of his reach. "That, and the fact that priestesses make me nervous." She was a demon after all.

Shion wasn't too surprised by the girl's answer, except for the last part. However, she chose to focus on the real issue between the two of them. "I'm not surprised. Children always hate the idea of someone else trying to act like their parent, even if I'm not."

Akane slightly glared at Shion now. "What do you mean you're not? Of course you are. You're doing what only Okaa-san is allowed to do by taking advantage of Otou-san's nindo and interfering with their marriage."

Shion just sighed. "I'm sorry you feel that way. But the truth is I'm not. If that's what you've thought of me for the past nine months, well, I hope someday you're able to see-ouch!" She lightly touched her stomach.

Akane quickly looked surprised. "What's wrong?"

"That... might have just been a strong kick."

Akane sniffed. "Then why do I smell water?"

Shion felt the sheets she was sitting on get wet. "Crap, go get someone. Tell them it's time." Akane created a clone and had it go find someone. "Why did you do that?"

"I may not think too highly of you, but that is my little sister in there and I want to know she's going to be okay." Akane firmly answered.

Shion moved to lay down on her bed, getting ready to deliver even though that wouldn't happen for several hours at least. "I don't think you can stay for the whole thing. You might get grossed out."

"Baa-chan's a medic who's taught me quite a lot. Nothing about the human body grosses me out now." Akane countered.

Before they could discuss it further, Sakura and Momo came into the room since they were the ones Akane's clone found first. "We're here. Lee-kun and your clone are looking for your parents now."

"You okay Shion-sama?" Momo asked.

"Yes Momo-san, but could you get me the back support my mother left for me? I get the feeling I'm going to need it."

The nurse nodded. "This is what she got it for, right? Be right back." She then left the room.

"Just relax, and get ready for a lot of pain." Sakura told the priestess.

"You gonna finish this?" Akane asked, holding up Shion's unfinished bowl of ramen.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Birth Of The Next Priestess

"AAAHHHHHHHH!" Shion screamed as another contraction hit her. "HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST?"

Sakura wiped some sweat off her forehead. "It's hard to say. You're still not fully dilated and labor can sometimes last up to a full day if not longer."

"A full day? Someone bring Naruto here so I can kill him!" Shion shouted.

"You may have to settle for several clones instead." Sakura said to lighten the mood. "Besides, once you're holding your baby this pain will feel like just a bad memory. Or so I hear."

The priestess panted as the wave of pain died down. "Screw the clones, I want the real one here."

"Sorry, but my job is also to keep the hokage safe so I can't intentionally let him be hurt." Sakura replied. 'How ironic that years ago I had the exact opposite view about him. Funny how things change with time.' "I do know a jutsu to soften the pain if you'd like."

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU SAY SO BEFORE?" Shion screamed.

"Sorry, but I needed your consent and I thought priestesses were supposed to do this all natural."

"JUST DO IT!"

"It's not a drug so I think it still counts as natural, to an extent at least." Momo claimed.

Sakura shrugged and performed the hand signs. Her right palm glowed a dark green and she placed it on the priestesses swollen stomach. Right away the aches of her contractions and internal stretching died down. "I can only place this in between contractions and it'll wear off after about five, maybe six of them. They'll still hurt but not as much this time. When they start getting too close, I'm afraid I won't be able to do this anymore and you'll just have to push to get it over with."

Shion looked around the room, hoping to find something that could take her mind off of her labor. "Hey, where'd Naruto-kun's daughter go? Wasn't she just here?"

"Oh, she said that your screams were hurting her ears, and her brother's too." Momo answered as she assisted Sakura in getting things ready for the baby's arrival.

"I hope she's keeping out of trouble." Sakura mumbled under her breath.

* * *

"Hmm... what to do? What to do?" Akane asked herself as she sat down in the main room of the shrine's hide-out, still holding Jiraiya in her arms. She had already sent out some clones to go find her parents and her team, and now was just waiting for a response. In the meantime she was bored, which could only lead to trouble.

The redhead sighed. "Dang, I can't do any pranks here, and I'm not sure what kind of training I could do with Rai-chan around. What _can_ I do?"

At hearing his nickname, the young boy looked up at her. "Neechan?"

She smiled and ruffled his dark hair. "Everything's okay otouto. I'm just a little restless."

"Fox?"

She shook her head. "Sorry Rai-chan, but I still need to be alert if anything comes up." Suddenly the memories of her dispelled clones popped up in her mind, letting her know her parents were on their way.

Naruto, Hinata, and the rest shortly after came into the room escorted by some of the temple guards. "Everything okay?" Naruto asked.

Akane nodded. "Yeah, so far so good according to Forehead-san. It's just a bit too loud for my ears in there."

"I better go check in on her then." Naruto said, looking towards Shion's room.

"Use a clone instead Otou-san." Akane warned.

"Why?"

"When it happens you'll know."

Naruto looked at his daughter confused then back at Shion's room. "I'll take your word for it." He made a clone and it went into the room along with Hinata to check on Shion. A minute later, Naruto shuddered. "You were right. I forgot how angry women in labor can get at men."

Akane smiled playfully. "Yeah, you couldn't use your right hand right for three days after Okaa-san crushed it."

* * *

Hours later Naruto, Hanabi, Akane, Dansue, Noburo, and Ichi waited outside the room playing poker to pass the time. Hinata would come out from time to time to check on them and let them know what was going on. Naruto would sometimes sent in more clones to give Shion something to vent on. Hanabi stayed away since she had no medical knowledge outside shiatsu which Hinata was already covering and Dansue feared she might electrocute someone by accident if she got too worked up in there from the activity.

"Full house." Naruto said as he showed his cards.

Akane smiled and showed her own. "Straight flush in spades."

"Damn, you win this time." Naruto said as she claimed the pile of poker chips as her prize.

"Those two are the best players I've ever seen." Dansue commented, having folded this turn.

Hanabi nodded. "Yeah, even the Godaime is impressed by how good they are when it comes to gambling. They don't even need to cheat."

Sakura came out this time. "Well, you'll all be happy to know that went along well and sooner than expected. Shion must come from a line of quick birthers. Naruto, the baby's born and it's a healthy girl as expected. Come see her."

Naruto got up and headed into the room without another word. The others briefly thought about following him, but didn't to let him have this moment to himself.

When Naruto entered, the first thing he saw was the nursemaid Momo gathering up some bloodly cloths, Shion resting in her bed panting like a tired dog, and Hinata knelt down with her back to him washing something over a metal tub. He noticed all the women here, even Sakura, looked stressed out with his wife looked the least stressed. Probably because she had experienced this directly three years ago. When he looked at Shion again she looked at him and smiled lightly.

"I did it... thanks to your friends Naruto-kun." She said wearily.

Hinata stood up and turned around to face Shion, revealing the thing she had been washing was the newborn. She grabbed a pink blanket and wrapped it around the baby. "Shion-san, here is your new daughter."

The priestess eagerly took the child into her arms and held her close, looking into her child's face. She was crying a bit and somewhat red from it and the birth, but to Shion she was beautiful. The hair was blonde like both her parents but her eyes were closed so they couldn't tell what color they were. "Naruto-kun, come take a look."

The Rokudaime Hokage approached her side slowly and looked at the infant. "How cute. She looks just like you."

"Actually, I think she looks more like you but without the whisker marks."

"Does she have your ability Shion-sama?" Momo curiously asked.

"We won't know for sure until her eyes open." Shion answered.

"What are you going to name her?" Hinata asked.

"I'm not sure. I can't decide between Senna and Yukari."

"I like Yukari." Sakura said.

"Senna sounds nice to me." Hinata added.

Shion looked ready to nod off. "I think I'll sleep on it. Could you put her in the crib Naruto-kun?"

"Sure thing." He said as he took his new daughter from her mother's arms and set her in a crib brought in for the night. The baby calmed down, and once settled opened her eyes. Her pupils were a bright neon yellow with an off-white fancy spade-like pattern in both of them. Then it faded and her eyes became pale lavender like Shions. "Umm... Shion-chan, her eyes were yellow but now they're lavender."

Shion smiled. "That's normal. That's how we know the newborn inherited the gift. Thanks Naruto-kun, you've officially kept your promise. You can sleep well at night now. Like I want to now."

"Go ahead. It is getting late and I think we all need some sleep in a bit too." Momo said.

Naruto looked at Sakura and Hinata. "Either of you two awake enough for a guard shift right away."

"I think I can. Hinata has her own kids to worry about but I don't." Sakura answered.

Momo looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Someone attacked the shrine before we got here, and again a few days ago. It _can't _be coincidence that this happened so close to Shion-chan's due date. Someone wants this baby their's or dead. One or the other." Naruto explained. "We're going to keep someone posted at all times around Shion-chan and the infant until the threat is eliminated." He briefly looked over both girls, who were now both asleep and unaware of what was going on around them.

"In that case, I'll stand guard tonight instead. It is my duty here to watch over Shion-sama after all." Momo offered.

"I'll still start out at least. If anything dangerous happens it'll be a good idea to have someone available who knows how to fight." Sakura countered.

Momo thought it over. "Hmm... good point. Okay, we'll do it together. Who will replace us when the shift ends?"

"My husband and I can." Hinata suggested.

"Great, it's settled. Now why don't you do tell the others they can see the baby too if they want?" Sakura asked Naruto.

He nodded and headed towards the door. Unnoticed by the others, when he passed Sakura she tapped his hand twice with her index finger.

* * *

Not that far away, but far enough to avoid being noticed, Haiyou checked the wound on his hand. "Alright, I think I can use it again. Although to be safe I think I'll use the other one more."

He got up and stretched, ready to go relieve himself. He was stopped by an approaching bee however. "So.. it's time?" The bee flew around in a clockwise circle twice. "Great." Haiyou then checked his regular clay supply, and his small amount of 'special' clay. "I'm all set." The bee then performed a sideways Figure 8. "Expect trouble? Well, I'm prepared for a struggle. With luck, all will go as planned." The bee then flew away.

"One thing first. Can't fight well with a full bladder after all."

* * *

Hours later it was Naruto and Hinata's turn to stand guard over the priestess and her baby. They slowly and quietly opened the door to lessen any commotion. The room inside was lit only by some candles to prevent the watchmen from being blinded by darkness but allowed the resting occupants enough darkness to sleep comfortably. Shion was looking quite comfortable, but Sakura looked like she had fallen asleep in her seat.

Naruto and Hinata exchanged looks and separated to check things out. Hinata looked over Sakura and saw several small red dots on her exposed skin, like bug bites. The pinkette was breathing steadily and even, indicating she was indeed asleep or maybe even drugged. Fearing the latter, Hinata started a basic medical jutsu to clear anything out of her blood.

Naruto looked into the crib and saw it was empty. He clenched his fists but remained quiet. He went over to his wife's side. "Where did she go?"

"Byakugan." Hinata answered, then looked over the area. "In the hallway that connects this place to the real temple. You better hurry koiishi."

He nodded and left the room. He wasn't surprised to see Akane was already awake. "Get your team ready. We may have a big fight on our hands."

"Got it Otou-san." She said.

Naruto didn't wait for her to finish before he was off.

* * *

Momo opened the door that kept the tunnel to the temple's haven hidden and stepped out into the almost-rebuilt ruins. She clutched the bundle to her chest, grateful the infant was staying silent for now. 'Sorry Shion, but Iwa needs this power.' She then made a bee swarm loose towards the sky as a signal.

Momo Chigawa was in fact Momo Kamizuru, a bee-user from Iwa who had been a plant in the temple for this exact purpose: taking Shion's child to Iwa. She successfully infiltrated them when a scout from Iwa heard that the foreseeing priest of Land of Demons was with child and needed a nursemaid for assistance in delivery and childcare. The order from the tsuchikage stated that the ability to see when and a person would die would prove to be a useful feature in their village and would help them and the next tsuchikage plan better for future missions. So the council gave Momo, who had the necessary skills the temple wanted, the order for the job to take the baby once they confirmed it possessed Shion's ability. Haiyou would go along as back-up to make her escape easier.

Momo walked down the hall carefully to avoid being noticed by the outdoor guards. A few sudden explosions followed by cries of pain told her that wasn't a problem anymore. She looked outside and saw Haiyou waiting for her and all the guards now gone. "Is that it?" He asked.

"Yes, now prepare the double." Momo told him as she approached him.

Haiyou reached into one of his pouches to grab some of his 'special' clay, but was stopped by half a dozen shuriken flying towards him. He jumped away and Momo followed. They turned to see a pissed off Naruto.

"I think you have something that belongs to me."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Battle For Shion's Baby Part One

Naruto was so mad at the two Iwa nin before him that if he still had Kyuubi's chakra in him he'd probably have six tails out now. Who could blame him? His child was in danger, and she wasn't even half a day old yet. But that fact was also the main thing preventing him from going completely berserk right then at the Iwa nin. He couldn't risk endangering his still unnamed daughter.

Momo looked worried and clinged the child closer to herself. "You must understand. Iwa needs this child. It's gift is going to waste in this country."

"I don't care what you think. That's not your decision to make." Naruto snarled.

"You don't like it, fight to get your way. That's how ninja's act tough guy." Haiyou stated confidently as he reached for some clay.

"Please, let's not do this." Momo pleaded. She was a medic and infiltrator first, and a fighter second. Not to mention a child in her arms took away a lot of her fighting spirirt.

"No, let's." Naruto replied.

"Your funeral." Haiyou claimed as he got some clay into his hand mouths and started chewing. Naruto threw some shuriken but Haiyou lifted up his arms to reveal metal guards on them both, which deflected the attack. When he put them down, he saw Naruto had quickly closed the gap between them and headbutted him quite hard. Haiyou stumbled backwards and almost spat out the unfinished clay bombs.

Momo stepped back and used a few bees to create a protective perimeter around herself and the child. She wanted to leave, but returning to Iwa without Haiyou wouldn't have looked good as he was intended to be her support for the trip and they had enough casualties already. The tsuchikage had already set a group of shinobi to swarm the shrine and give Momo an opportunity to get away with the baby, but unfortunately it happened too soon since Shion passed her due date. So she had to remain and wait for the birth then try to get away while Haiyou covered for her.

Naruto created a few clones and had them all beat the crap out of Haiyou before he could right himself. But they disappeared when he pulled out a katana and spun around, slicing them all. "Is that all you got tough guy?"

"Not by a long shot." Naruto said. He created a rasengan, able to do them by himself for years now, and charged at the Deidara-like shinobi.

"Think again." Haiyou then created a clay wolf and a clay tiger that charged at the blonde hokage. The wolf took the hit but the tiger dodged and pounced at Naruto. The explosion from the wolf send Naruto back and out of the tiger's reach but it just pounced again. Naruto did a substitution with a log and threw a kunai at the tiger, making it explode.

'Hmm... if I remember right Deidara's clay beasts didn't explode that easily. This guy must not be able to make them very resilient so they don't work any better than an exploding shadow clone. In that case, fight fire with fire.' He created his trademark hand sign. "Try this on for size. Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu." A hundred Naruto's popped up all over the area.

One by one they approached Haiyou and detonated when they got close to him. The process was continuous for about three minutes straight. The original Naruto looked for Momo, but she had disappeared.

* * *

The Kamizuru girl was hiding in the canopy of a tree far enough away from the repeated explosions but close enough to keep an eye on the battle. The child in her arms would have given her position away had she not used a sleep-inducing jutsu on it a moment ago. 'I would have used my bees since they have tranquilizing stings like I did that Sakura woman before I sneaked out, but that might have been deadly for this little one.'

All of a sudden Hinata appeared on a branch in front of her. "Give me that child." She demanded firmly.

Momo gasped. "How did you-?"

"I specialize in tracking. Now give me that child." She said as her byakugan activated.

"I can't." Momo replied before she sent her bees at the white-eyed kunoichi.

"Protective 8 Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms." Hinata said as chakra blades came from her palms and she swung her arms around to keep the bees off her. Much like how she faced the group of Kamizuru back during the bikochu search mission years ago.

Momo turned to escape but saw Sakura on the branch behind her, gloves on and knuckles cracking. "You... you can't be active yet! The numbing effect of my stings-"

"You must not be much of a medic if you didn't even think I'd develop at least some immunity to tranquilizers. Or have pre-ready antidotes to venoms taken." Sakura stated. "Now do you have enough brains in your head to cooperate?"

'Damn, with my hands full I can't properly counter her. But with the infant in my grasp and us at this height, she can't attack me directly either. And I can't keep the other girl occupied forever. What do I do? Haiyou-san, you better get here quickly.'

* * *

Meanwhile, said clay bomber had his hands full too, literally and metaphorically. His hands were full of more clay and Naruto was keeping all of his attention. For every explosion he made, Naruto blocked with a group of clone. However Haiyou would eventually run out of clay and odds are that would happen before Naruto ran out of chakra. So Haiyou created a clay bull and had it charge at Naruto as a last resort, hoping he could get a brief moment to get away and rendezvous with Momo for the rest of their plan.

Naruto used several shadow clones which destroyed the bull with kunais and absorbed most of the blast but created a giant cloud of dust. He was going to make more, but Haiyou suddenly appeared behind him with his katana drawn out before the dust settled. "Say goodbye tough guy."

"Ninja Art: Hair Prison Jutsu." A young boy's voice called.

"Huh?" Haiyou asked n confusion. He didn't get an answer except for several long tendrils of blue hair wrapping around his wrists and ankles then pulling him towards the ground like they were chains. One more tendril appeared and wrapped around his neck for extra measure. "What the heck is this?"

Noburo stepped out of the shadows once the dust cloud faded, wielding his own sword that looked like half of a scissor. Since the hair on his scalp was it's normal length and he had a scroll out, Naruto could tell he had just used some previously stored hair for this trap. "Atta boy." The blonde hokage told his daughter's teammate.

Haiyou struggled and one of the hair chains broke free from the ground it was anchored too, freeing his right hand. "Ha! You Leaf nin can't hold me for much longer!" He reached for some of his last bit of clay, but a sudden burst of light caught his attention.

"Twilight Style: Dark Kraken Jutsu." With that, the shadow at his feet created by the light reached up with it's own tendrils and attached themselves to Haiyou's left knee, right pectoral, left abdomen, and right shoulder, and tighten considerably, making him furthermore tethered down and off-balance.

"Good work boys. Now where's you-know-who?" Naruto asked as Ichi made himself known.

"She and Sensei are trying to get the baby now." Noburo answered.

"Then they should be fine."

"Anything I can do Hokage-sama?" Dansu appeared, easy to see since she was slightly glowing in the dark thanks to her stored voltage.

"Yeah, knock this guy out. I bet Ibiki could have fun with him and his partner." Naruto told her.

"I'm not done yet tough guy." Haiyou said as he revealed another small clay animal in his right hand. It quickly grew to full size, taking on the form of a giant Eastern dragon the size of the shrine. Which by the way it was positioned right on top of now.

"Damn. We destroy that and the whole shrine becomes a crater." Naruto commented angrily, stopping Dansue from preparing a lightning jutsu on it.

"Battles are a blast aren't they?" Haiyou stated with a triumphant grin and laughed.

At about then Akane showed up with her half-sister in tow and stopped to stare at the white clay dragon. She created a shadow clone and handed the infant to the clone. "Get somewhere safe. I'm needed here." The clone nodded and went up a tree to hide in the leaves.

Akane got next to Naruto. "What should I do Otou-san?"

"Get your trump card ready. We're going to need it."

"Finally." Akane said happily, eager to use what he was referring to. Although she didn't like that look Haiyou was giving them.

It looked too confident.

* * *

Momo was keeping Hinata and Sakura busy by running thru the tree tops and keeping her bees out and on guard. She had to call off her attack on Hinata to spare the rest of her hive and move thru the trees to keep them from getting reinforcements easily. Fortunately for her, her two pursuers apparently didn't know too many ranged jutsus to close the gap. Or if they did they were afraid to use them right then.

In her peripheral vision, she briefly saw a red blur pass her by on her right. 'What the...?' Then she had to come to a stop. In front of her was a huge collection of unhappy Akane's forming a sort of wall across the branches. Briefly daunted, Momo straightened herself up and started running towards her left.

The swarm of clones followed her, and Momo saw two quickly come right beside her at her right. But they didn't attack. Rather, one of the Akane's was carrying another one in her arms, creating a very odd site. Momo didn't think about it for long, as the carried Akane performed a substitution and the next thing Momo knew, she was know holding a redhead twelve year old instead of a blonde baby girl.

'What the hell? Did she just perform a substitution with the baby?' The Kamizuru asked herself. Seeing one of the Akane's currently holding the infant, that would appear so. The one that took the babie's place suddenly grew claws and slashed the bee user's face like a cat. Momo screamed in pain, and the many Akane's that were chasing her caught up and attacked her from behind.

Hinata, Sakura, and Hanabi just caught up to the area and saw many Akane's and one Momo falling out of the trees. Before they reacted, the real Akane came in front of them with the baby in her arms. "Got her."

"Thank Kami." Sakura said with relief. "Take her back now. We'll take care of it from here."

Akane looked towards Hinata and Hanabi, who both nodded their approval for that. "Alright, but I'm coming back." She swiftly got out of the trees and went back to the shrine.

Sakura, Hinata, and Hanabi got on the ground and saw a pretty beat up Momo and only three of Akane's clones left, but they had stopped attacking her. Now they were fending off the mass of bees keeping them away from the Iwa kunoichi. Hinata and Hanabi both performed an 8 Trigram Air Palm technique to clear the bees away and Sakura used some monowire to trap Momo before she could struggle.

Momo looked at her captors and glared at them. "Great, just great. Looks like Konoha is getting yet another advantage over the rest of us. Are you guys so grubby you have to steal our advantages too?"

Hanabi kicked some dirt in her face. "If you're implying that we intend to take the infant to our own village and use her the way your tsuchikage intended to, you're sorely mistaken."

Momo looked confused. "Then what was the whole point of your mission?"

"Moral support." Hinata answered.

Momo arched an eyebrow. "Moral support? You can't be serious."

"Why? Because we Leaf nin are all monsters to you Stone nin?" Sakura asked irritably.

"You mean because of what the Yellow Flash did? That was over twenty years ago and I wasn't even alive back then. Why would I care about that? I'm just following orders like you. But... moral support? What kind of ninja do jobs for mere moral support?"

"Those that care for those close to them, like the Rokudaime Hokage." Sakura said before her hands gained a dark green glow. "Sedating Palm Jutsu." Upon contact, Momo slowly passed out.

All of a sudden, the mass of bees came back and they looked to be thrice the quantity they had been before. Maybe quadruple even, and they sounded mad. Sakura stepped back in surprise, the two byakugan users activated their doujutsus, and the three Akane's bared claws and growled. Some of the bees lifted Momo back onto her feet and cut the wire. She then opened her eyes and smirked.

"My bees have tranquilizing stings. You must not be much of a medic either if you didn't suspect I'd have at least some immunity to sedatives as well. Even chakra-based ones." She then faced Hinata. "And you must not be much of a tracker if you couldn't tell I wasn't carrying all my swarm on me this whole time. Nope, we've only just started this fight."

"At least we have you outnumbered." One Akane said confidently.

Momo didn't look the least bit intimidated; if anything she looked more confident of her situation. "Oh I am, am I?"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Battle For Shion's Baby Part Two

Naruto looked at Haiyou, trying to remember everything he could about Deidara's fighting techniques and how to counter them. Not much was coming to mind. He knew how they worked, but not much else. The only idea he had came to him when he gazed at the pouch at the Iwa nin's hip. 'If someone can remove that, then at least he can't make more clay things. Then he'll really be at a disadvantage.'

"Akane-chan, bring me his clay pouch." The Rokudaime Hokage told his daughter. She nodded and dashed towards the Iwa nin with incredible speed he couldn't block and she snatched the pouch right off his belt.

"Now what?" She asked.

"Destroy it!"

Before Akane could try, the clay dragon tried to consume her in one gulp. She was quick enough to dodge, but hesitated on attacking. Because of Naruto's imprinted memories in the back of her mind, she felt this was familiar but not enough to act comfortably here.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Spear Jutsu!" Dansue called out before she fired a lightning bolt at the dragon's head. The bolt struck and the dragon's head cracked on the side and froze in place, but didn't fall apart or explode.

Haiyou looked worried. "Oh crap, a lightning wielder."

Dansue grinned maliciously at the Iwa nin. "That's right buddy, and that makes me your worst enemy." Her body kept sparking as she faced him and took a stance. Her restraining bracelets remained in place for the time being though. "Hokage-sama, I request permission to remove my restraints." Ever since Dansue pledged her loyalty to Naruto, she would never remove her own bracelets without his approval or an emergency.

"Granted. Just target him and his clay things though." He told her.

Dansue nodded, and pulled her collar off with a snap. Instantly everyone around her felt a surge of static in the air and her chakra levels increase marginally. Moving much faster, she removed the remaining four restraints and gained full access to her stored voltage. Fortunately working at Konoha's electric plan gave her plenty of chances to recharge herself.

"This won't be good." Haiyou quietly told himself. Knowing his clay dragon was all but useless now, since lightning jutsus removed the explosive qualities of his creations and slowed their movements, he gave it one last command in hopes it could at least make some impact before that happened. The dragon lunged at Dansue like a viper in an effort to bite her or maybe crush her. But it missed and she gathered some electricity in her left hand. "But how? She didn't make any hand signs."

Dansue slammed her fist into the dragon, sending a surge of electricity thru it and making a cracked dent just above its right jaw. For all basic purposes, this clay bomb was now useless. She then readied another attack with her right fist and made another hit, this time causing the entire thing to crumble as it the clay had dried out and flaked apart.

Haiyou glared and Naruto smiled at the electric girl. "Dansue, you and your brother finish him off. Akane-chan, Noburo-san, you two go assist your sensei. I'll go check on the baby." Naruto ordered, all of them nodding in response.

Akane created a clone. "My clone will lead the way. Let's go Noburo-kun." She and the blue-haired boy ran off to where Hanabi was while Naruto followed Akane's clone into the shrine.

"So Konoha's hokage would rather babysit than fight? Some hokage." Haiyou commented.

"I take it you've never been responsible for a child." Dansue stated. "When you do, you don't have the luxury of just rushing into a fight for the heck of it. Especially when they're there with you." She couldn't help but slightly look towards Ichi when she said that, who appeared to be crouched down working on making a seal no one could see from where they were.

Haiyou caught that. "Ah, so the kid's important to you eh?"

Dansue sparked to the point where everyone's hair was starting to stand on end. For some reason her own didn't, and never did when surrounded by static. "You are so going to regret thinking that."

Haiyou knew he was in a bad situation. 'Damn, I wasn't prepared for this. I'm up against a lightning wielder who doesn't even need hand signs and whose chakra even feels like electricity itself. I'm out of my main clay anyway, so I'm going to have to use my special clay to get out of this. I know I was supposed to save it for later, but now I have no choice.'

Haiyou grabbed a small packet of clay reserved in his left breast pocket on his vest. This clay was unique and rarely used. Possessors of the modified bakuton which Haiyou and the late Deidara each had used two different types of clay, the white silver clay and the yellow gold clay. The silver clay was more common, easier to mold and infuse chakra into, and made bigger explosions, which was why Deidara only used that type. The catch was that the figures made from the clay were slower moving and were obvious to recognize, lacking any disguise. But the gold clay, while rarer and had less powerful bursts of power, could be molded into exact figures of a person or animal down to the smallest color patterns, and move just as quickly. But the real advantage was that the gold clay was lightning-resistant.

Haiyou grabbed some of his gold clay and put it into the mouth on the hand that hadn't been injured. 'If I've got to use this stuff now, I better use it in the hand that works quickest.'

"Lightning Style: Ball Lightning Jutsu." Dansue said, using no hand signs as she created a sphere of lightning between her hands then shot it forward at the Iwa nin.

Haiyou jumped to the side and the ball of electricity zipped past him. "Work on your aim, tough gal."

"No need with this one." Dansue replied in a way he didn't like.

Haiyou looked behind him and saw the attack hit a tree but bounce off and continue moving towards him. 'It can ricochet? Oh crap!' He jumped aside again and the crackling energy ball pasted him again and bounced off the wall of the shrine before returning to him again. 'And it homes in on a target? I need this clay to finish molding NOW!' Sadly the golden clay wasn't done yet so he had to keep dodging. The main disadvantage of the gold clay, besides it's rarity, was that it took four times longer to mold properly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Momo grew confident when she saw someone new come into view. She wasn't sure how much longer she'd last fighting three other kunoichi and three clones at once, but now relaxed.

Hinata, Hanabi, Sakura, and the Akane clones turned around to see what made Momo so confident now. They were expecting to see either her partner or the rest of her swarm, but the actual thing that appeared was probably worse.

They saw a gigantic flying bee surrounded by many other large bees. The really big one was the size of a small elephant and the rest were the size of small dogs.

"When did you summon these?" Hinata asked Momo.

"Before all this. Sort of a failsafe in case we were chased down or cornered. My personal swarm just went to get them." The Kamizuru medic answered, confident no one but her was getting out of this one safely with her complete normal swarm and summons swarm at her side.

'And I thought we got rid of the boss summons for the bees ten years ago.' Hinata thought, remembering the bikochu mission. 'Didn't we? Either it recovered or this is a whole new one. I guess it doesn't matter either way.'

The Akane clones charged ahead, much like how Naruto would have, and started attacking the smaller bees in the summoned swarm. Each one transformed just enough to give themselves claws and they tore into the bees like an Inuzuka would.

Three bees went down easy, but they had reinforcements and all three clones were stung right in the spine with stingers the size of senbon. The clones dispelled before they even had a chance to cry out in pain. With them gone, Hanabi threw a few shuriken to keep them away while Sakura readied her fists and Hinata readied her juuken. Out of all of them, Hanabi had the best ranged attacks for this situation while the other two would have to wait for the oversized insects to get closer. Her shuriken clipped the wings of one of the bees, rendering it flightless, but no others were hurt.

Before the swarm could advance, three more clones of Akane appeared and tore into the bees again. This surprised the bees and the shinobi. Hinata soon proudly smiled though. 'So she left us her reforming clones? That's my girl.'

"You gonna help or do we hafta keep dying here?" One of the Akane's asked before a nasty sting got rid of it for a while.

Hanabi threw a few more shuriken. "I'll do what I can but I've only got so many weapons." 'I'm so glad I learned more than just the standard juuken. I told those geezers that it wouldn't work for every situation, and they actually laughed at me. Well who's laughing now?'

Hinata readied her Protective Eight Trigrams technique. 'I've never done this before while moving around. I sure hope it's just as effective.'

Sakura did the only thing she thought might be suited here, and created a pair of chakra scalpels on each hand to fight with. Most of her techniques were close-range or earth-based, neither of which would help her here but the chakra scalpels would at least get her some lethality here. But it wasn't the bees she was going to attack; no she was going to attack the one behind the bees, their summoner.

Momo was expecting this and jumped back to avoid the chakra scalpels. Being a medic she was well aware of what that jutsu could do. "Ninja Art: Binding Wax." Momo said before a stream of an amber-colored substance sprayed out of her mouth and coated Sakura's feet. It would have covered more but she was quick enough to miss most of it if not all. The substance hardened like cement but felt just like wax on Sakura's skin.

Sakura thrust her fist down by her feet, shattering the ground she stood on and making the wax no longer bind her to the ground. Then she used her chakra scalpels with her other hand to cut the wax enough that she could at least bend her ankles and toes and thus move around easier. She would have gotten rid of the wax entirely but she feared she wouldn't have enough time to so she settled for weakening it enough so she could move less hindered. With luck it would crumble as she moved around.

Many of Momo's normal bees, the unsummoned kind, tried attacking Sakura. She felt a few stings but wasn't affected by it. After a decade of shinobi work, a bee sting barely hurt at all to her. And even though Momo's personal apparently had numbing effects on those they stung, like they were drugging the person, Sakura had spent years developing a tolerance for many toxins. So the Iwa kunoichi would have to try a lot harder than this to get away.

"Ninja Art: Allergy Pollen." Momo declared before exhaling a cloud of yellow dust at the now-mobile pinkette who got covered in the cloud. Sakura quickly started coughing and her eyes got watery and red. Then she sneezed twice and her eyes burned, making her rub them despite the battle. More bees continued to sting her, her skin started to get red from them, but she swatted them away and backed up to get some distance from them.

"I need assistance now!" Sakura shouted, unable to see and hear much of anything over the buzzing swarm around her.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Akane's voice shouted out before Sakura felt a strong surge of wind blow from behind her. It wasn't strong enough to blow her away, but she still held onto the ground for leverage. When the wind stopped, so did the buzzing noise.

Sakura blindly reached for her medical carry-on. "Can you get me some water so I... AHCHOO! ...So I can wash my eyes out?"

"Water Style: Condensed Bullet." Akane answered. Next thing Sakura knew, she was hit in the face with a blast of water.

Sakura was understandably upset, but at least she could open her eyes with the pollen washed away. "Thanks." She said begrudgingly. "Now go back to the other clones."

"I'm not a clone." Akane told her while Noburo helped Hinata and Hanabi fight off the larger bees. "Do you want some help or not Forehead-san?"

"Don't call me that, and yes I want help."

"Ninja art: Binding Wax!" Momo shouted out as she tried to cover the two with more wax. Akane's wind attack earlier had knocked her over because she was caught off guard and less sturdy than Sakura was at that moment. But now she was back on her feet and ready to fight back.

Akane swiftly got out of the way and Sakura followed. "So that's why you always smelled like wax and flowers." Akane commented.

"Try this scent on for size then. Ninja Art: Noxious Pheromones!" Momo irritably replied before exhaling a cloud of dark orange mist that crept towards her targets. Akane substituted herself with a rock but Sakura took the hit of the mist.

"AHHH! I CAN'T BREATHE!" She shouted once the aroma of the mist hit her nose. It smelled like the inside of Gai's jumpsuit after a really sweaty work-out on a hot day. And if that wasn't bad enough, Momo's swarm started to crawl all over her and sting her repeatedly even more.

Momo looked around to see any traces of the red-haired girl and saw nothing. So she just smirked at seeing Sakura's suffering. "Like it? The pheromones not only smell downright awful to most humans, but they make such a stimulant for my bees. Fortunately mine can sting repeatedly, not once then die like most do. And I doubt even you can resist the effects of their stings for long now that they've all started going nuts. Heck I doubt you can even hear me over the sedation taking over or the sheer pain."

Sakura caught her off guard by slamming her fists into the ground, creating a shockwave of destruction towards the Kamizuru. Momo backed away and jumped off towards her left to escape the breaking earth beneath here. Once she did, she heard a tearing noise come from behind her and turned around. What she saw was two Akane's with a red ball of chakra between their hands.

"Rasengan!" Akane shouted when one of the two disappeared and the one that remained shoved the chakra orb into Momo's stomach.

'Holy crap!' Sakura thought as she saw the Iwa kunoichi go flying from the impact. 'Naruto, just what have you been teaching her?'

"Wind style: Great Breakthrough." Akane said before creating another burst of wind to get the bees and extra pheromones off Sakura. "Water Style: Condensed Bullets." She then added a few water attacks to get rid of any leftovers on Sakura's body, making her uncomfortably wet. "Better?"

Sakura tried not to frown as she moved her sopping hair out of her eyes. "Yeah, thanks."


	16. Chapter 16

_Sorry about the lack in frequent updates for this story. I have to be a lot more original here compared to my other fics so unfortunately I can't rush this. Also I work on extra stuff for this series like drawings and many original OCs so that slows me down too. But this story will never go on hiatus, and I'll try to post much more often from now on._

Chapter 16: The Battle For Shion's Baby Part Three 

With narrowed eyes, Dansue looked over her surroundings carefully, trying to find her target. She wasn't going to waste electricity when she couldn't even see her opponent. Unable to see anything suspicious, she looked towards Ichi, who was perched on the ceiling of the shrine with a kunai and flare ready. "See anything Ichi-chan?"

"No Ane-ue. Nothing."

The sound of gravel shifting underfoot caught Dansue's ear and she looked towards her front again. From behind the trees to her left emerged Naruto, who waved at her. "Hokage-sama, I take it the child's safe now?" She asked and he nodded. Suddenly she frowned and shot a lightning bolt at him, knocking him backwards.

"Ane-ue, why'd you do that?" Ichi asked in disbelief.

"That's not Hokage-sama. When does he ever give silent replys to a question? And since he went into the shrine, how could he show up in front of me when the door's behind me?" The electric girl explained.

'Naruto' got back on his feet and glared at her. He rushed at her trying to punch her, but she caught both of his fists and zapped him good. She expected this imposter to quiver and collapse, but it didn't look effected.

Haiyou came out of hiding from inside a tree's canopy and threw two kunais. Dansue couldn't dodge or block since her hands were full and she took both hits in her right forearm. "You're good, I'll give you that. Now I don't feel so bad wasting my special clay on you."

"This is one of your clay things?" Dansue asked before she kneed the fake Naruto in the groin. It didn't show pain but it did cease attacking her for a brief instant.

"Yep, and my best type. It can mimic everything about a person except the ability to speak. And it's lightning proof." Haiyou stated confidently.

Dansue kicked the fake Naruto in the jaw and jumped back, then attempted to pull the kunais out of her arm. "So you knew I was going to be here?"

Haiyou shook his head. "Not at all. I didn't even know you were a lightning type until you fought my other creations. I brought this clay for a different reason." He saw the kid on the shrine move away and got ready for some kind of direct retaliation soon. "The plan was for Momo-san to drug you guys and bring me the baby, then I'd create an exact replica of it and Momo would deliver it back to you guys. Then while we made our escape, the fake would detonate and make it impossible for any pursuit for us."

Dansue had dislodged both kunai and was using them to block the fake Naruto's punches. "You guys are sick!"

"We're ninja tough girl, we shouldn't mind getting our hands dirty to get the job done."

Dansue wanted to curse the man dead, but right now she had a bigger priority, which was getting rid of this Naruto clay clone. Lightning wouldn't work, and it would still explode if she did too much damage to it which would likely kill her at this proximity. 'What do I do?'

* * *

Hinata really didn't want to be in this fight. She was pregnant after all and worried this would hurt or maybe even kill her baby. She was also worried that if these Iwa nin had wanted Shion's baby, there was a chance that they would try to take her son Jiraiya too. If they did, Naruto and Akane would make what the Yondaime did to Iwa's forces look C-ranked by comparison. And if anyone could do that, those two together could.

So when she saw her daughter arrive at this location, and use her own rasengan to eliminate one of the threats, Hinata felt relieved that things would go better from this point on. But that didn't mean she herself could stop just yet. 'I just hope she doesn't let her instincts get the better of her. We don't need that kind of thing to happen here.'

Noburo was helping the older ninja by having many tendrils made of his hair entangling the bees like a net. He had to have the ends of his hair wrap around many of the branches to make his hair taut enough to be effective or else they'd just put his hair out. Unfortunately, due to the size of the swarm and the summoned bees, he had no hair left to do anything else with. And the queen hadn't been caught.

Noburo cut his hair off and anchored the ends to the ground. Then he looked into his supply pouch, but wasn't satisfied with what he saw. "Sensei, I'm out of tags!" He shouted.

Hanabi nodded and threw a tagged kunai into the hair net. The tag caught fire and made a small burst, but the fire from the burst spread to the hair and started to burn the trapped bees. Some of them did manage to get loose but they fell to the ground, with hair still wrapped around them. Before they could get up, Noburo pulled out his family heirloom sword, one that looked like a single scissor blade, and stabbed as many as he could. And the ones he couldn't get to, Akane's clones covered for him.

Hanabi looked at the queen which was hovering over them now. 'Why hasn't it attacked yet?' Her answer came when the giant bee flashed it's stinger and started to sound mad. 'Looks like it's about to now without its servants around anymore, but I'm not going to give it the chance.' She made three fast hand signs. "Earth Style Stalagmite Spear Jutsu." She placed her hands on the ground and an earthen spike shot up and pierced the summoned insect in it's abdomen. 'How ironic, a bee being stung.'

Despite the injury, the bee didn't look too incapacitated, more immobilized than anything else. Hanabi looked back at the Iwa kunoichi that summoned it, and saw Sakura looking her over. Hinata was using her Protective Eight Trigrams technique to keep Momo's normal swarm at bay and Noburo was growing his hair out again to tie the queen in place. As for Akane, all Hanabi saw were the three clones, not the original.

Hanabi went up to Sakura. "Any particular reason you're healing the enemy?"

"Yeah, we still need her for information and we can't get that if she bleeds to death." Sakura answered, indicating the damage done to the unconscious bee user. Hanabi saw that Momo's kimono front was torn to shreds and her stomach didn't look much better. In fact, Momo's abdomen was missing some skin and the exposed muscles had tears in them too. And this was what was still exposed while Sakura was wrapping up the injury in gauze.

"Wow! What did that?" Hanabi asked.

"Akane did, with a rasengan." Sakura told the Hyuuga heiress.

Hanabi lightly smiled. "I don't know if I should be proud or shocked."

"I'm more shocked than anything. I mean, look at that damage she inflicted. I expected something more like a bruise, maybe an abrasion, not this. Naruto's rasengan at that age wasn't this strong, so why is hers?" Sakura commented and asked.

Hanabi shrugged, despite the fact she did have a theory. 'Maybe her chakra is just more destructive and damaging.'

"Hey, where is she by the way?" Sakura asked.

Hanabi activated her byakugan. "Right now she's..." Before she could answer, a shout cut her off.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" Lee practically howled as he showed up with a kick to the giant bee's face, knocking it senseless and making it disappear back to wherever it lived.

Hinata had finished off the last of Momo's personal swarm and walked up to Lee. "Lee-san, I take it you did your task?"

Lee nodded. "Yes, I double-checked the shrine interior and exterior and found no extra explosives and ensured there were no other inhabitants injured. Also, before I came out, Naruto came back with Shion-san's baby and left her in the care of his extra clones and the shrine guards that are also protecting your son Hinata-san."

Hinata sighed in relief to hear things were working out. "Thank you. I'm so glad to know the threat's not bigger than we already know."

"You should go back to the shrine Hinata-san and look after the children. You're in no condition to be in battle here." Lee added.

Hinata nodded and rubbed her stomach. "I know, but... we had no way of knowing how many were trying to get away. If they had split up, then two byakugan users would have had an easier time tracking them than only one." She stopped rubbing her stomach. "But now that's not a concern. I'll go do as you suggest. Help the others Lee-san."

He saluted. "Yes Hinata-san."

Hinata headed back towards the shrine while Lee went to see what Sakura and Hanabi were doing. Before Hinata got too far, two of the three self-reforming Akane clones got in front of her. "Hold on Okaa-san, things are still a bit rough there. Wait for it to calm down."

The former Hyuuga nodded and waited for any sign she could go.

* * *

Dansue hit the fake Naruto with another lightning bolt. It had no effect other than to push the clone back a bit. 'Ok, the voltage itself may not do anything, but the force behind the attack can stun this thing. But no more than a regular punch or kick would instead. If I attack that way, I risk making it explode, but if I don't I waste my electricity for no results. I need help here.'

Help came in the form of another Naruto, one that charged at the fake and knocked it over with a surprise headbutt attack. "No one makes clones of me but ME!" He shouted.

Dansue looked at him. "How do I know you're the real Hokage-sama and not some enemy in disguise?"

"Your usual shift at the plant is nine to three." Naruto stated.

She smiled. "Glad you made it. Can you get rid of your explosive duplicate for me? My skills are no good here."

Naruto nodded and created a dozen clones before surrounding the clay clone. One by one they attacked with their fists and feet before kicking it into the air. At first glance it looked like his normal Uzumaki Barrage maneuver, but this time there was no name declared with it. Once the fake Naruto was in the air, the real Naruto jumped up and faced it. "Wind Style Great Breakthrough!"

A strong gust of wind would have blown the clone away, had it not grabbed ahold of Naruto's collar before the jutsu actually started. When it did, both Naruto's were caught in it and blown towards the south.

"Hokage-sama!" Dansue shouted out, panicked he would blow up with the clone and maybe die. Something then came flying towards her fast and she jumped back a few feet. Next to where she had stood, but not close enough that it would have actually hit here, was a tri-kunai. "What the-?" A split second later, there was an explosion in the air and Naruto appeared in a yellow flash right by the tri-kunai.

The backlash from the explosion sent dirt and debris flying and some of the trees got uprooted. Everyone in the area had to duck down to avoid getting swept away from the shockwaves.

Haiyou looked towards his clone's burst after the worst of the blast had ended and felt a twinge of proud accomplishment. "Shame I can't do that again, but I've got more tricks up my sleeve."

"So do we!" Two girls' voices shouted out, making haiyou turn to see two Akanes charging at him with a red rasengan between them.

"Oh no you don't." The Iwa nin said as he made a single hand sign then touched the ground. "Earth Style Rock Wall Jutsu." A wall of stone came up in front of him. Akane was undaunted and thrust the chakra orb into the wall, obliterating it. However, it delayed her enough to give Haiyou enough time to draw out two tantos he held up enough that they should charge right into them.

His plan worked and both Akane's got stabbed in the stomach, making their focus on their rasengan fade and thus stopping the attack. The clone dispelled and the real Akane fell to the ground clutching her stomach, trying to remove the knife. Haiyou smirked and kicked her. "Did you actually think you, a mere genin, could defeat an experienced ninja like me?"

"Wasn't... trying to defeat you." Akane said painfully as she pulled the knife out. "I was... trying to distract you!"

Haiyou arched an eybrow, having no idea what she meant, until he felt something hot go right thru his back and out his front. Judging from what he saw come out his frontside, he had just been pierced by a lightning jutsu, and judging from the location of the pain, his right lung had been the part hit. He slowly turned around to see Ichi standing behind him with his right arm stretched out but now being pulled back.

Haiyou fell to his knees, finding it hard to breathe. 'Momo-san, please get her now. I need a medic.' Instead of his bee-using partner, he saw the two kids step up to them, joined by Naruto and Dansue. Naruto was more focused on Akane, using a healing jutsu Tsunade taught him to patch Akane's wound. Her reforming clone came back, uninjured, and stood with them to intimidate the Iwa explosive user.

"Looks like you lose." Dansue commented.

Haiyou coughed up some blood. 'Damn, since I'm out of clay I can't use my suicide maneuver. I'm finished.' His vision started getting blurry.

"Where's the baby Otou-san?" Akane asked, her wound now gone thanks to her father's help and her own healing ability.

"She's safe and sound now with your brother. Several of my clones are watching them both along with the guards." Naruto told her.

Akane smiled. "Perfect." She then made half of the ram sign with her right hand, and she ended her Repeat Shadow Clone jutsu.

Haiyou collapsed, still alive but struggling to remain so. Naruto looked at Dansue. "Finish him off. I've been warned guys with this type of jutsu have a suicide method we can't risk him using it."

Dansue nodded and gather some electricity in her right hand. "Clear!" She told everyone to make them stand back, and to be a bit ironic, before she thrust it onto his back. The electric shock gave him convulsions.

Akane arched an eyebrow. "Are you trying to resuscitate him?"

Dansue shook her head. "It's true an electrical shock can restart a heart, but it can also stop one if it's already beating." She took a closer look. "He stopped breathing Hokage-sama."

"Good. Let's save the body though. The research guys are gonna love having this." Naruto stated.

Hinata came forward, the disappearance of Akane's clones telling her it was safe for her to continue, and she hugged her husband. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, this guy's done for. What about the other?"

"She down and being patched up so we can question her later. Akane-chan took her down in one move." She said proudly before looking at the aforementioned girl. Her eyes widened in fear when she noticed a bloody tear on Akane's jumpsuit by her stomach. "What happened? Are you okay?" She asked as she knelt down to look her daughter in the eyes.

Akane flashed her foxy grin. "I'm fine Okaa-san. Just a scratch."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Aftermath Of The Battle

The next morning everyone woke up relaxed after a good night of sleeping in. Everyone made sure to sleep in the same room with Shion, who was relieved beyond measure that her daughter was back safely in her arms. They slept there to ensure no one else would try to take the child, but Naruto and Akane made several clones to stand guard throughout the shrine just to be sure.

It had been hard to sleep at first with Dansue in the room, since she glowed in the dark even with a fourth of her stored voltage used up in the fight with Haiyou. But everyone learned to ignore it. Naruto and Hinata slept with Jiraiya between them and Akane curled up by their heads, Shion slept with her daughter in her arms, and Ichi slept right next to his sister. Sakura and Lee slept next to each other but didn't cuddle.

The first one to wake up the morning had been Lee, eager to do his morning exercise routine. He left the room silently, carefully not to disturb the sleeping newborn and get her wailing. Once out, he did some stretches in the hallway then went outside for a light jog. Light in his terms meaning only a hundred laps. He kind of wished someone would join him in this like Gai would, but none of the others had his capacity for such endeavors.

Back at the shrine, Sakura woke up next and headed for the shower. When she came out, she saw Naruto and Hinata were already up while Hanabi and Dansue were yawning and stretching their arms, about to wake up. None of the kids showed any signs of waking up anytime soon, and neither did Shion.

"So what do we do now?" Sakura asked Naruto.

"First, we interrogate the prisoner. I'm not saving that for the T&I department back home. We'll find out the full story from her, and keep guard here for a bit longer to ensure there are no second wave attempts to get the baby." Naruto then smiled. "Maybe we should even stage us leaving with my clones a day early to trick any potential remaining ambushers into thinking we're gone."

Sakura smiled. "I like that. So, who's going to do the interrogating?"

"You and Hanabi. Hanabi can keep her from moving, and you can intimidate a person quite well and heal her if it gets too far." Naruto told the pinkette. "Plus I trust you two to be less biased in this than I would be."

Sakura nodded. "We'll do our best. What will you be doing?"

"Helping Shion-chan and keeping the kids busy." Naruto answered. "Dansue, I want you and Lee to assist the guards for the day." The electric girl nodded. "Where is Lee by the way?"

"He's probably out jogging as always." Sakura answered. "You better make a clone to go tell him."

Naruto nodded and did just that. "Okay everyone, give yourself an hour to properly wake up, then go do what I recommended. Sakura-chan, Hanabi, when you interrogate the prisoner, try not to kill her if it can be helped. I'd rather avoid a conflict with Iwa." The two girls nodded. "When you're done, tell me what you found out and we'll go from there."

* * *

An hour later, Sakura and Hanabi were in a small room in the shrine with a bound Momo. Aerosal cans were ready in case she tried to use any more bees and her hands were held apart by being tied to a 2x4 behind her shoulders, giving the impression she was being crucified. Her legs were tied to the chair she was sitting in, or more accurately strapped to at the waist.

The Iwa kunoichi was already awake and didn't give her fellow kunoichi a kind look of acknowledgement. "I know what you want and you won't get anything out of me."

"I've got good news and bad news for you." Hanabi said. "The good news is the two of us are not professional interrogators, so we're proably not going to be that effective." Momo smiled, but her elation dampedned when Hanabi smirked back. "The bad news is that means we don't know the best ways to get info out of you, so we're going to have to be very creative to make you talk."

Now Momo looked nervous. A professional interrogator like Ibiki or Anko knew how to maximize pain, both physical and mental, while minimizing lasting damage or anything that could compromise the victim's ability to reveal the truth. If these two weren't professionals, they couldn't do that, which meant this session was going to hurt. A lot.

Sakura put her gloves on. "So let's get crackin'... some bones that is."

* * *

Elsewhere, Naruto was outside with the three genin, giving them a training exercise. Hinata was with Shion, showing her how to change a diaper. Of course, the priestess had already been taught these sort of things, but she went along with it in hopes Hinata's experience would tell more.

Naruto looked at the three preteens proudly. "Good job you three. You helped ensure that an enemy village didn't take an innocent life. I'm going to reward you all with a new jutsu to use."

Noburo and Ichi was the most excited, Akane not so much only because this wasn't anything new to her. Even so, she decided to mess with him. "You gonna teach us the kage-killer? I already know that one."

The two boys looked at her curiously, while Naruto looked worried. "Oh no, I'm not teaching _that_ one. Hinata would kill me if I did."

"What the kage-killer?" Noburo asked.

"It's a jutsu Otou-san used on the Sandaime several times. Knocked him out every single time." Akane replied. "Doesn't work as well on the Godaime though, but it can if modified the right way."

"It that why you won't teach us it Hokage-sama?" Ichi asked. "You don't want us to use it on you?"

"I'm more afraid of my wife than you using that jutsu." Naruto stated. "Anyway, what I was really going to show you was the water-walking exercise."

"Water-walking?" All three asked.

"But Otou-san, I already know that." Akane said. She had to learn that before she could learn the rasengan. The chakra control needed was sort of a prerequisite.

"So help your teammates learn it too by showing them how it's done. Now follow me to where we're going to practice." He then headed off into the forest around the shrine, with the three genin following him.

* * *

Momo just coughed some blood and a small amount of bile after Sakura punched her hard in the abdomen. Not hard enough to rupture her organs or break her spine, but enough to make her insides convulse. Beforehand, Hanabi hit a few tenketsu in a way designed to induce vomiting, which was more painful to do since the bee user had an empty stomach. She had yet to vomit, but some fluids did escape.

"Care to speak now? It's been five minutes of this. You can't hold out forever." Sakura asked.

"What do you want to know? I already told you yesterday that-" Momo started, but briefly stopped to surpress the rising taste of bile in her throat. "That Haiyou-san and I were ordered to kidnap the baby if it was confirmed to have the priestess eyes and bring it to Iwa. What more are you looking for?"

"As far as we know, the current tsuchikage is a woman. Why would any woman order a mission where a newborn baby has to be taken from it's mother?" Sakura clarified.

Onoki had put up a good fight, but in the end he needed to be replaced two years ago with the current Yondaime Tsuchikage, who happened to be his granddaughter Kurotsuchi. No one outside Iwa knew exactly why the stubborn old man had finally left his office, the most persistent rumor being he died two years ago.

"Not every woman is ruled by her maternal side you know." Momo said.

"Maybe, but I still find it hard to believe she'd actually come up with or approve of this idea on her own." Hanabi stated. "So who in Iwa really wanted this?"

Momo looked away. "Like I'm going to tell you?"

"If you want this to end, then yes." Sakura claimed.

Momo scoffed. "Yeah, and then you'd kill me, or lock me in jail for the rest of my life."

"I guess we need to motivate you a bit more." Hanabi declared. "That's good because I'd still like to punish you for kidnapping our hokage's daughter."

Momo looked right at the Hyuuga heiress. "Here's something I can comfortably tell you. I honestly had no idea before this mission who fathered Shion's child. I was quite surprised to hear the hokage had done so, and seriously considered aborting the mission when I did find out."

Sakura crossed her arms. "Then why didn't you?"

"Haiyou-san convinced me that we needed to complete the mission. The council did insist we needed the eyes of the priestess to avoid needless death of our own forces."

"And the tsuchikage agreed?" Sakura asked.

"As far as I know, yeah. Why else would the council give us the order to come here?"

The two Konoha kunoichi shared a look before looking back at Momo. "So the tsuchikage didn't?" Hanabi asked, sounding quite curious.

Momo arched an eyebrow. "Not directly, no. The council did for her. Why do you care?"

Hanabi looked at Sakura. "Maybe she should save this for the professionals after all."

Sakura nodded. "Okay then. I'll try to send word of this to Konoha."

The two Konoha kunoichi left the room. After they left, Momo allowed herself to vomit some bile and then pass out.

* * *

Akane, Noburo, and Ichi were on top of the shallow end of a lake trying the water-walking exercise Naruto had explained to them. Akane showed the two boys how it was done, and they began practicing. Naruto watched them from the center of the lake, where he told them he wanted them to reach by walking. Ichi had the hang of it first but not right away and fell in the water like Noburo did.

Noburo looked like he had it; he was standing on the water and maintaining his balance. Smiling, he tried to walk out to the deep end, but when he took a step and placed his foot down, he stumbled and fell into the water, becoming completely submerged. When he came back up, he saw Akane holding out her hand to help him up, and took it. She pulled him back on his feet as he tried to repeat the ability to stand on water.

"This is hard." He said as he wiped the water out of his eyes. "How long did it take you to get this right Akane-chan?"

"About as long as it took me to walk on trees." The redhead answered. "And the only reason it happened that fast was that I had several people helping me learn control. I really needed it because my chakra is quite... destructive."

"It can't be that bad." The blue-haired boy commented.

"Trust me, it's bad. My chakra's dangerous. Very dangerous." She added sadly. Noburo stayed silent and tried to dry himself off by taking off his soaked shirt. "Woohoo! Take it off Noburo-kun!" She teased to irritate him.

Suddenly bashful, Noburo put his shirt back on and tried to walk away. This time he made one successful step, but sank again on the second step.

"Something going on over there?" Naruto shouted.

"No Otou-san!" Akane shouted back as she helped her teammate stand back up.

"Please tell me we have towels for when this is over." Noburo moaned.

"Yeah we got them."

"Good, cause you're going to need them too." He said before playfully shoving Akane and knocking her backwards. She ended up unable to stay afloat and sank under the water too, resurfacing with her red hair sopping wet and clinging to her. "Woohoo! Take it off Akane-chan!" Noburo told her with a laugh.

He was overwhelmed with a sudden presence of a lot of KI from behind himself, and saw an angry Naruto right behind him. "WHAT... did you just say to my daughter?"

"Run Noburo-san, run." Ichi said.

* * *

Later that evening, everyone was having dinner alongside Shion. Noburo had exhausted himself running from Naruto, but in doing so learned how to successfully walk on water. Akane shared the story with Hinata and both girls got a good laugh out of it. Sakura and Hanabi had already informed Naruto of what they managed to get out of Momo information-wise, and he agreed they needed to bring her to Konoha to get more answers.

"So Shion, what exactly are you going to name your little girl?" Sakura asked.

"Yeagh, what's it gonna be?" Dansue added.

The blonde priestess was currently nursing her child while eating her own meal, using a blanket to cover her action because of the children and men present. "Before I truly decide, Naruto-kun, how did you and your wife decide to name your own children?"

"Well, Hinata named Akane-chan because of her red hair, and we named Jiraiya after my best teacher and father figure."

Shion smiled. "So who was your mother figure?"

"That would have to be Tsunade, or as I call her, baa-chan. My real mother though was named Kushina."

Shion looked down at her covered daughter, visible only to her at that moment. "Hmm... I like those names. More than the ones I already have in mind."

"We already have the name Tsunade picked for our next one if it's a girl." Hinata announced, rubbing her stomach.

"Baa-chan insisted on it." Naruto added.

Shion nodded. "Okay then, in that case, I think I'll name this child Kushina."

Lee gave a thumbs up. "It is a fine name that will suit her well."

"Now Shion," Sakura started, sounding concerned. "Considering how the last assistant you had turned out, I think I speak for all of us here when I say it may be best to have someone from our village look over little Kushina to ensure she's healthy." Shion nodded. "Okay, so I'll do what I can with what I brought with me," Sakura turned towards Naruto now. "But I strongly recommend we have someone return after we leave to provide a more thorough examination and give her her shots."

Naruto nodded, and hid his grimace. 'Ugh, shots. I hate shots. Needles going into your skin. It makes me cringe. Poor girl.' "Hey Sakura-chan, since we're going to be here for another week, why don't you go to one of the nearby hospitals and get what you need there?"

Sakura looked surprised. "Good idea, I didn't think of that."

"Hey Naruto-kun, could you take all the extra ramen in the kitchen with you when you do go home?" Shion asked. "I'm not going to be craving it so more anymore so help yourself to it."

"You've got ramen you don't want?" Akane perked up, then looked down at her bowl of rice. "Then why the hell am I eating this?"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Truth About Akane's Origins

Tsunade was in the hokage office going over some reports. "Dammit, why did I let that gaki talk me into filling in for him while he's away? Maybe Shizune's right and I do drink too much." She paused for a moment. "Nah!"

A puff of smoke appeared from out of nowhere right in front of her on the desk, waiting jump back in her chair and yelp. The dust cleared to reveal Gamakichi. "Yo!" The orange toad greeted.

The slug sannin tried to calm her speeding heart. "Oh it's just you. And here I thought I really was drinking too much. Or not enough. Anyway, what brings you here?"

"Naruto wanted me to tell you a few things and ask something of you." Gamakichi said. "First, he says to tell you it's a girl and she's named Kushina." The sannin smiled warmly. "Second, they had to deal with a threat from Iwa that attempted to kidnap the child for themselves." Now Tsunade looked mortified. "He says the threat's disabled now and they're prying more information out of their hostage. At the moment they have reason to suspect Iwa's council went behind the tsuchikage's back to order their mission. If you can, try to get in contact with Iwa to see what you can find out for sure."

"That won't be easy, but I'll try."

"The last thing he asked was for you to gather up some medicine safe for a baby needing immunization so I can deliver it to him. Apparently that's the one thing the medic didn't bring, because Naruto didn't tell her their would be a newborn involved until after they got there." Gamakichi wrapped up.

"I'm not surprised." Tsunade stated offhandedly, then stood up. "Follow me to the hospital. For this case, I'm picking out the needed supplies myself." Gamakichi hopped onto her shoulder. "Oh, did you bring any pictures?"

The toad shook his head. "Sorry."

Tsunade grumbled as she walked out the door. "He better have some when he gets back then."

* * *

Back in Land of Demons, Naruto and Hinata were having some much needed alone time together, leaving Akane to watch over Jiraiya. She wasn't alone though, her teammates were eating their lunches with her while Hanabi looked around the shrine for any hidden tricks left by the Iwa nin.

One of the guards of the shrine approached Akane, holding the newborn baby in her arms. "Akane-san, Shion-sama wanted to know if you wanted some time to see the baby."

Akane looked surprised and stopped eating her ramen, some noodles dangling out of her closed mouth. She swallowed when the surprise wore off. "Really? She asked that?"

The guard nodded. "Yes. Since the little one is your half-sister and will live here, you'll rarely have the time to interact with her, so Shion-sama thought it was only courteous to offer you this chance now before you left for home."

Akane smiled. Deep down she had been hoping for the chance to hold her little sister at least once on this trip. "I'd like that. Thanks."

The guard carefully held out Shion's daughter and Akane rose to her feet. "You know how to safely handle a baby?"

"I did perfectly fine with my little brother."

With that, the guard let Akane take Kushina from her arms. Akane carefully held the day old infant, making sure to support the head and body. The infant's head was supported on Akane's right side, and she showed signs of just starting to wake up.

Akane smiled quite warmly. "Hey there imouto. I'm Akane, your big sister. You probably won't see me too much growing up unfortunately, but I'll be sure to visit once in a while. Just don't seal me up when I drop by." She said that last comment like it was a joke.

'Seal her up?' Noburo and Ichi asked themselves, not understanding the hidden meaning in the statement.

"Wanna see wanna see!" Jiraiya said eagerly, reaching up for what he saw Akane holding.

Akane smiled at her little brother and sat back down. "Look Rai-chan, here's our sister, Kushina."

"Sister?" The young boy asked, then looked at the redhead. "But you my sister Nee-chan."

Akane smiled. "I know, otouto, but she's your other sister." Akane looked back at the litle girl. "It feels weird calling you by my grandmother's name. So... I think I'll call you Kushi-chan instead. Yeah, that sounds right."

"I wanna hold." Jiraiya said.

Akane shook her head. "Sorry Rai-chan, you're too little. You might hurt her if you tried." The little boy crossed his arms and planted himself down, looking mad. Akane smiled, thinking his little pout made him look cute, then looked back at the young girl in her arms. "I'll try to visit when I can Kushi-chan, and I hope you come see my home at least once too. I may not like the fact that your mother isn't my mother, but you are family and that's all that matters to me. Just don't grow up to be the kind of priestess I don't like."

She wasn't completely certain, but she could have sworn she saw the baby smile at her. The idea tugged at her heart and she planted a small kiss on the girl's forehead. 'All of a sudden, I hope that Okaa-san's next kit is a girl. Though I still wouldn't mind another brother.'

An unmistakable scent hit Akane's nose, making her look back at the guard. "You might want to take her back now. She's going to need a new diaper soon."

"Oh, did she-?"

"Not yet but she will. I know that scent and it's getting stronger. Take her." Akane held Kushina out, and the guard took her back and left the room to take the infant back to Shion. Akane then clenched her nose shut for a moment. "It's times like this I'm glad Rai-chan is potty-trained. Those months when he was in diapers were hell on my nose."

"Hey, Akane-chan," Noburo said, reminding the red-haired girl that her teammates were still in the room. "What did you mean by that 'Don't seal me up' comment?"

Akane looked startled. 'Oh crap did I really say that in front of them?' She hid her worry by grinning and scratching the back of her head. "Never mind that. Family joke is all."

"What about the 'I don't like priestesses' part?" Ichi added.

"I... just don't like priestesses. Can't say why, just do."

Noburo narrowed his eyes. "Can't... or won't?"

Akane stopped grinning. "What are you implying?"

"I'm_ implying_ that there's something you're not telling us."

Akane narrowed her own eyes at the blue-haired boy. "Do you tell everyone everything about you Noburo-kun? Do you go around saying things that you know may turn them against you? Things that may turn friends into enemies if they were aware?" She was starting to tear up, but her gaze did not soften. "We all have secrets we'd prefer to take to our graves and I'm no exception. There are things about me I'm allowed to keep to myself. If I wanted you to know I would have told you."

"Don't you trust me-I mean _us_?" Noburo asked.

"This secret is too big for me to just tell anyone! I haven't even told Shiba-chan it so how can you expect me to just tell anyone?"

"I'm not just anyone Akane-chan. I'm your teammate, friend, and neighbor. If you can't trust me who can you trust?"

The only thing that stopped Akane from exploding in his face was the sounds of Jiraiya getting scared at the fight. Akane picked up her brother, strong enough to hold a three year old boy without difficulty, and rubbed his back. "It's okay Rai-chan, settle down. Nee-chan's just upset right now."

Jiraiys looked at Noburo and frowned. "You hurt Nee-chan. You a meanie!"

Noburo did not know how to react to that. Ichi was just glad he stayed out of it. Akane just chuckled, then burst out in real laughter.

Thanks otouto, I needed that." She told the little boy, who smiled back at her. Aakne slowly turned back to her teammates, her expression suddenly forlorn, and she sighed. "Noburo-kun, Ichi-kun, you two are my friends right?"

"Of course we are. Why would you ask that?" Noburo replied. Ichi just nodded.

"Because if you truly want to know what I've been hiding, I need to know you won't turn on me once you know." She told them.

"Just as long as you haven't been using me like Ryuutake did, I wouldn't turn against you Akane-chan." Noburo stated.

"And like how Danzo-teme and the Uchiha used Ane-ue and me." Ichi added.

Suddenly both boys realized why Akane had been so reluctant to tell them. They were both victims of betrayal by others, so naturally they weren't eager to just give their trust to just anyone. And what trust they did give could easily be broken. But Noburo knew Tenten for years and Ichi knew Dansue even longer, both boys knowing they could trust those two with their lives. Considering how long they knew Akane, either her secret was extremely risky to share, or her faith in others to keep it was frail. Maybe both.

Akane slowly nodded. "I don't want to hurt you, or anyone. Just those that hurt those precious to me. But my secret... can either make those bonds stronger, or break them completely."

Noburo knew what he had to do. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

"Thanks, but now's probably the best chance I'm ever going to get. Besides, I'd rather not wait until it's too late to explain... what I am." Her eyes darted around. "Can we go somewhere private?"

A few minutes later, the three genin and one toddler were inside an empty room with the door locked and a clone of Akane standing outside keeping an eye out for trouble. The real one held Jiraiya on her lap, having given him a lollipop to keep him occupied, and faced her two teammates.

"What I'm about to tell you two is possibly the biggest secret in Konoha. If there's a bigger one, I can't imagine what it could be. It's so big, no one's even allowed to know it exists except for those that already do. And no one is allowed to say a word about it except my parents, Baa-chan, and me."

Noburo and Ichi shared a look of curiosity and awe before looking back at the redhead and nodding for her to continue.

"You know Otou-san has the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, right?" She asked, and they nodded. "As far as Konha is concerned, that's true. However, the truth is, he isn't. At least not anymore."

"Not anymore?" Ichi asked.

Akane shook her head. "No, he isn't. The Kyuubi was killed four years ago, on April 1st. Otou-san stayed alive with the fox demon no longer inside him. But the fox... didn't stay dead. You see, demons like the Kyuubi have a special ability where after they die, they reform again and come back to life."

"Yeah, I heard about that." Noburo said. "Back when I still had a connection to Kiri, I heard that the guy who held the Sanbi died and the Sanbi died with him, but it came back a few years later and that's why that Akatsuki group disappeared for about three years."

Akane nodded. "I'm not certain if that part about the Akatsuki is true, but the part about the Sanbi coming back to life is true. The only problem with the story is... it doesn't take years for these demons to reform themselves. It actually takes only a few minutes."

"A few minutes?" Noburo asked. "Then... wouldn't the Akatsuki have known the big turtle was still around?"

"I don't know. Maybe they just assumed it was gone for years rather than actually look for it. Maybe they couldn't sense it's chakra during the rebirth and a few years after. Whatever the reason, the fact is after a bijuu dies, it comes back to life almost right away. However, when it does, it comes back... as a child."

"A child?" Both boys asked.

Akane nodded. "Yes. Think of it like how a phoenix dies. After it dies of old age, it gets reborn young again, like a completely new bird. The same thing happens to the nine bijuu. They get reborn as younger versions of themselves, with almost no memories of the life they had before. A clean slate to become a new person if you will."

"So you're saying that the Kyuubi is free and is roaming the world as a four year old fox kit?" Ichi asked.

Akane lowered her eyes. "No, I'm not."

"Then what are you saying?" Noburo asked.

"The Kyuubi that attacked Konoha 22 years ago, the one that got sealed away in Otou-san, is dead and can never come back. There is a new kyuubi now, one that wants to help Konoha and protect everyone in it, but is afraid that no one will accept it's help because of the old one."

Her sad tone of voice and lack of eye contact made Noburo and Ichi start to wonder what she was saying. Then Ichi started to figure it out. "Wait, you're saying that there is a new kyuubi that wants to protect Konoha?" She nodded. "It's been around for four years with no one knowing it's there?" She nodded again. "It was 'born' on April 1st?" She nodded again. "Your father most likely knows where it is, right?" She nodded again. "Can it take human form, like legends say fox demons can?" She nodded again. "I see." Ichi concluded.

"What?" Noburo asked, completely lost.

"Can't say. Akane-san says there's a law that says only she can tell you." Ichi told the blue-haired boy.

"Noburo-kun, Ichi-kun..." Akane said to regain their attention, then changed to reveal a set of nine red fox tails with black tips, and two fox ears that were tipped black and positioned where her human ears had been. "I... I _am_ the new kyuubi."

Noburo looked confused. "You're the new host for the fox?"

Akane shook her head. "No, I am not a jinchuuriki. I am a bijuu. I am a genuine fox demon. I always have been."

Ichi looked pleased to hear he had guessed right, while Noburo looked surprised. "So... all this time, from day one, you've been a fox demon?"

Akane looked away, almost shamefully. "Yes. I'm sorry I lied, but... can you blame me?"

Noburo thought this all over. "This actually explains a lot. Your sketchy origin story, your transformation ability, how you can talk to animals, your smile, even your pranks." He then looked at her sympathetically. "Wow, living with that kind of secret must have been torture."

"Sometimes. But I managed because I have friends and family to keep me sane and remind me why I must use my power to help Konoha rather than destroy it. I just fear that when they find out about me like this, they're not going to return the favor."

"Who all knows?" Ichi asked.

"Otou-san, Okaa-san, Baa-chan, Jii-san, Hanabi-sensei, Shizune-obasan, Kiba-ojisan, Shino-ojisan, Anko-san, Ibiki-san, Yamato-san, and Inoichi-san. They only know because they have to, to keep me from getting out of control. No one else has any idea. Oh wait, my cousins in the other villages know, and I think their caregivers do too. I know Temari-san, Gaara-ojisan, and Matsuri-obasan know about me."

"Your cousins?" Noburo asked. "Those girls you occasionally see? Are they fox demons too?"

Akane shook her head. "No, they're the other eight bijuu, reborn like I was." She looked at them both hopeful yet fearful. "S-so... w-w-what do you two th-think of me now?"

"Glad to have you as ally rather than enemy." Ichi stated.

Noburo nodded. "What he said. I mean, come on Akane-chan give us some credit. You've spent the past four years saying you're going to protect everyone and be the next hokage. Do you really believe we'd think you're some sort of beast once we found out this?"

Akane frowned. "Well _sor-ry_ for thinking that a village that hates foxes wouldn't accept me with open arms once they knew."

"Well, we do. You're our friend Akane-chan, human or not." Noburo stated, and Ichi nodded.

Akane smiled and shedded a tear. "Thanks boys, that means a lot to me." She then returned to her normal human form, much to Jiraiya's disappointment.

"And since you're our friend, can you get your father to stop trying to kill me?" Noburo asked.

"You deserved it for telling me to strip." The redhead replied.

"I wasn't serious!"

"Good, because I'm not as eager to obey such a request as my cousin would have been."

Ichi arched his eyebrows. "Which one?"

Akane palmed her face. "Great, both of my teammates are perverts."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: A Relaxing Night And The End Of The Mission

Night came but not everyone was asleep just yet. A young boy was outside by what remained of the shrine gardens and looked up at the stars and waning crescent moon. Within the next few nights, there would be no moon in the sky.

'The night sky just doesn't look right without the moon in it.' Noburo told himself. 'Sure, the constellations are great, but the moon always made me feel safer when I was afraid at night. Like the princess on the moon was watching over me when no one else could.' He then mentally sighed. 'I wonder if my parents are watching me too.'

His parents was a rather touchy subject for Noburo, one everyone had learned over the years not to ask him about or bring up. It wasn't that he hated them or anything like that; he still loved them. The problem was Noburo just had a hard time remembering them. After all this time and his experiences, Noburo struggled just to even remember what they had looked like. He could easily remember how they made him feel, but each passing year it was becoming more and more difficult to actually remember _them_.

His father had been a man named Shinnosuke Sentaka, and his mother's name was Haruka. He couldn't remember her maiden name anymore, and by now he wasn't even sure he had ever been told it in the first place. His father was tall and limber, sporting the standard blue hair of the Sentaka family down past his shoulders and often seen wearing sunglasses. His mother was average height and build, with wavy strawberry-blonde hair a little longer than her husband's had been, and best remembered wearing sweaters most of the time.

Noburo could still remember a few things about his parents from back when he still had them. His father had been a bit of an amateur astronomer according to himself, meaning he just stargazed whenever he could and liked to point out what he could see without a telescope. For work he was part of Kiri's Anbu and once a guard for the yondaime mizukage. His mother was an okonomiyaki chef, a bit of a messy baker but made the best okonomiyaki and desserts Noburo had ever tasted. To this day he had yet to find something that tasted better than what she made. She had no clan or ninja skills above genin, having decided to retire after she failed the chuunin exams three times. But she never regretted it, saying her skills had peaked and she was better off accepting it.

Despite the haziness his memories were getting more and more covered with, there was one thing Noburo wouldn't forget. The night they died, during the Bloodline Purges. The Sentaka didn't have a kekkei genkai, but in the confusion and overwhelming hostilities of the civil war, they were an accidental victim. The image of Shinnosuke's head being chopped off by someone with an axe still haunted Noburo's nightmares, although by now the memory of the man who did that was just a silhouette. Haruka was being targeted to as a 'bloodline-loving whore' and he too was targeted, but they had been helped by Shinnosuke's best friend, who took a hit so they could flee Kiri. Haruka didn't leave unharmed; she took a hit from a poison-tipped kunai, although they didn't know it was poisoned until later. Haruka led her son towards her own mother's house in a civilian village, where the old woman had moved to long ago. By the time they got there, Haruka had only a few hours left to live, with nothing but will power being the thing that kept her alive long enough to reach there in the first place.

Noburo ended up in the care of his grandmother after that, which wouldn't have been too bad save for one detail. His grandmother was enfeebled and already suffering from a touch of senility. Most of the time, it felt to Noburo like he was taking care of her more than she was taking care of him. He didn't want to sound selfish, but he was a seven year old boy at the time who lost both of his parents and he needed someone to care about him. He wanted to be comforted, not comfort someone else. And most of the hired nurses for his grandmother were too preoccupied with her or others to be of much help to him so he felt very out-of-place and unwanted. In the end, he ran off and sneaked onto a freight ship for the mainland. He was soon found, but everyone decided it was better to just drop him off at the next port and let the local authorities deal with him.

At the port in Land of Fire where they dropped off Noburo, a missing ninja from Kiri named Kashou Ryuutake was posing as one of the authorities in order to steal from the imports. He must have sensed a great deal of usefulness to be gained from the blue-haird young boy, because he took him with him too. To ensure Noburo couldn't escape, Ryuutake destroyed all but one of his sealing headbands, saying only he could make more at this point. Noburo had no choice to accept this and followed the swordsman wherever he went.

After losing his parents to bloodthirsty murderers, the last thing Noburo wanted to do was be in cahoots with a roaming killjoy like Ryuutake. But as far as he knew, the swordsman was the only person who could keep him from being killed by his own hair. And since Ryuutake claimed to be a former member of the Seven Swordsman (which turned out to be a big lie as he was really only a candidate for the group but told everyone otherwise), Noburo feared becoming one of his victims if he fought back. So for almost a whole year Noburo tasted bile as he was forced to provide back-up for a traveling murderer. Sure, he was always fed and his wounds were treated carefully, but Noburo always wanted to leave and go somewhere else.

When Tenten came along and told him he had the chance, he took it like a beggar. And to this day had yet to regret it.

He heard some footsteps from behind him and turned around. "Whatcha doing out here Noburo-kun?" Akane asked as she came up next to him, still standing.

Noburo looked back up at the sky. "I just wanted some fresh air and to be by myself for a bit."

"Oh. Should I leave then?"

"I... guess I could use the company. To be honest I'm feeling a little lonely."

Akane sat down. "Then why did you want some time away from us then?"

The blue-haired boy sighed. "It's because everyone here has someone to be with. You got your family, Ichi has his sister, even the two other adults have each other and your father. Who do I have? I'm the odd man out here."

"You've got me and Ichi-kun and Sensei."

Noburo shook his head. "It's not the same. You've all got family here with you. I don't."

"I'm sorry." Akane told him sympathetically, not knowing what else could be said here.

"It's not your fault. If it wasn't for you we'd still be doing D-ranked missions waiting for a C-ranked mission like this."

Akane leaned against a post behind her. "Actually, I think this one has been bumped up to B-ranked easily. Maybe A-ranked but don't quote me on that."

"Didn't the same thing happen to your father on his first mission?" Noburo asked.

Akane smiled. "Yep. I guess I take after him more than I thought I did."

"If you take any more after him you're gonna start wearing orange and turn blonde."

"I do occasionally wear orange and I can be blonde anytime I want." Akane responded. "I just like red more in both cases."

"Yeah. You wouldn't want to be one of those dumb blondes eh?" The blue-haired boy joked.

Akane frowned. "Otou-san and Baa-chan are blonde you know."

Noburo gave her a look. "Don't tell me Konoha's best prankster can't take a joke."

"Insult me all you want but never insult my family."

Noburo smirked and shrugged. "I'd be an idiot to insult someone as powerful as the nine-tailed fox."

Akane was quiet for a moment, which Noburo knew wasn't a good thing. "Noburo-kun, just... how do you see me now, knowing that?"

"To be honest, I'm kind of relieved." He answered, confusing the redhead. "You always were ridiculously strong for someone our age. Too strong it seemed. I sometimes thought it was because you had so many people teaching you, like you were extra privileged. And if it kept up you might one day turn out like that Itachi Uchiha guy did and kill a bunch of people."

"Me be like one of those evil eye creeps? Never!" Akane declared.

Noburo smirked. "Yeah, the name Akane Uchiha doesn't sound right, does it?"

Akane looked like she wanted to vomit. "I think... a part of me just died."

"The name's not_ that_ bad is it?"

"It makes me taste bile. I need some ramen _now_."

"Don't you ever get tired of the stuff?" Noburo asked. "Hasn't there been at least one day where you didn't even want to look at it?"

"Once." Akane surprisingly said. "There was one day last year when I suddenly didn't want ramen. I think it was a Tuesday. Everyone worried I was sick or something and I went to see every doctor Konoha had to offer even the Yamanakas. It turned out to be temporary insanity and I was soon cured and returned to my ramen-loving self again."

Noburo gave her a 'Are you kidding me?' kind of look. "I honestly can't tell if you're joking or not."

Akane smiled. "And that's why I'm so good at what I do." She stretched her arms over her head then shifted a bit to lay on the floor and get comfortable. Noburo lightly blushed as he couldn't help but notice how her chest stuck out while she did that. "But for the record, yeah, that was a joke. And as soon as we go back home the first thing I'm doing is going to Ichirakus."

Noburo lightly chuckled. "Anyway, I'm glad to know that even though you're a prodigy, you're not one that's likely to go crazy from the pressure to always be better."

"I consider it more of a challenge or a duty than pressure." Akane commented, then looked at him. "Speaking of when we get back home, what do you plan to do Noburo-kun?"

"That depends on what the time is when we get back, but I'm most in favor of getting some rest at home."

"Yeah, that sounds good too. _Then_ Ichirakus!"Akane said before facing her teammate. "Hey, maybe the three of us ought to go eat together, sort of a way to celebrate succeeding in our first official mission."

Noburo shrugged. "Maybe, but to be honest I was planning to grab a bite somewhere else." What happened next he wasn't planning for, but the words came out before he realized they were on his mind. "Would you like to go with me when I do?"

Akane was stunned and certainly showed it. She slowly raised back into a normal sitting position. "Just us? No Ichi-kun or Sensei? Just us?"

Noburo was silent for a brief time, but he strongly sensed Akane's desire for him to answer her. "Well, why not? Ichi's not much for conversation and Sensei would just give us more lessons. It might be more relaxing if it was just us."

'Me and a boy at Ichirakus by ourselves?' Akane asked herself, still shocked. 'They'd never let me hear the end of it and it would reach Otou-san's ears no matter what.' "In that case Ichiraku would probably not be the best place to go." She blurted out before she could catch herself.

'That was odd to hear coming from her.' The blue-haired boy told himself. "In that case, there is this one place I've wanted to try out that makes hamburgers. How's that sound?"

"Perfect. I love hamburgers."

"Good. So let's plan for the day after we get back so we don't have to deal with telling everyone else. How does noon sound?"

"Noon the day after we get back? Sounds fine. Gives me time to shower and clean my hair and find the right clothes and-"

"Settle down Akane-chan, it's just lunch, not the prom." Noburo cut in.

The redhead looked a bit deflated at hearing that. "Just lunch? Nothing else?"

Noburo looked confused. "Did you have something else in mind?"

"Yeah. Maybe catch a movie, go for a swim in one of the lakes, y'know, _something_ to do after we ate. Just lunch would be boring."

Noburo sighed. "In that case, how about we save it for a week after we get back so we can know which day we'll have the most time off to do something like that and so we can decide just all we want to do."

Akane nodded with a soft smile. "Sounds like a plan to me. I think we can make Friday work, if you ask Otou-san nicely that is." The way she said that last part sounded like she was lightly teasing him.

Noburo arched an eyebrow. "Why would I ask him?"

"Aren't boys supposed to ask the girl's dad before they take them out somewhere?"

Noburo sat up. 'Does she think this is a date or something? Why would she? It's just lunch and a movie and... Holy crap it is a date! How did that happen?' He then mentally sighed. 'But I guess there's no way out of it now. If I were to cancel, then... I'm not sure who to be more afraid of, her or her father.'

"Alright, I'll ask him. But.. can we keep this between us until we get back home? I'd rather-"

"No need to explain. I agree completely." Akane interrupted.

"Good."

"Now, if you don't mind, I still need some ramen to get that bad taste out of my mouth. See ya later Noburo-kun." Akane said with a kind smile as she got up and walked away.

Noburo laid back down on his back and looked at the stars for a bit longer.

* * *

The group from Konoha ended up staying with Shion for another week. The main reason was that Naruto and Tsunade agreed to have a second group of ninja come to Shion's shrine and transfer Momo to Konoha like professionals. Naruto didn't want his group to do it, as there was too much risk the Iwa kunoichi would be able to escape.

During the time they waited Hanabi made sure to keep training her genin and the other adults took some time to offer some lessons as well. Naruto gave them clones to practice jutsu against, Hinata offered tracking lessons, Sakura taught some basic first aid, Lee instructed them in taijutsu, and Dansue informed them in survival skills.

The day after Momo was collected and taken into custody, Naruto's group was ready to leave.

"Make sure to come by when you can Naruto-kun." Shion told the blonde ninja, then turned to face his face. "And don't worry Hinata-san, I won't ask him for a second child."

Hinata smiled, but her eyes narrowed as she wrapped her arm around her husband's waist. "Good, because that's my job."

"I told you!" Akane said to the prophetic priestess.

Shion ignored the redhead's comment. "Thank you all for keeping my baby safe. I can't be grateful enough to you all. That's why if in the future something happens to me, I want you to take Kushina in and watch over her until she's fit to take on her priestess responsibilities."

"Can that happen?" Sakura asked.

"Yes it can; it just never needed to be done before by any of my ancestors. Promise me Naruto-kun that if for some reason I can't care for our daughter that you'll take her in." Shion pleaded but without a begging tone.

Before Naruto could make another promise to this woman, Hinata cut in. "What about the people here? Why can't they do it?"

Shion sighed. "Do you really want to risk another one of them being like Momo-san?"

"Exactly. If one of them tried something like that again, we couldn't do anything in time so why us and not someone closer?"

"I'll feel better this way. Plus it would defer threats if they were aware my child was under the guardianship of the Rokudaime Hokage."

Naruto spoke up before Hinata could. "Let's give it some time for now Shion-chan. You're in no threat now so don't worry about it. But if it makes you feel better, even though I'm not promising anything, I will consider doing it for you." He glanced at Hinata, who gave him a look of approval.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, that's all I ask." The blonde priestess replied.

"But before this turns into a long goodbye, we should probably get going. Take care, Shion-chan, and Kushina-chan, be a good girl for your mommy." Naruto told her and the infant in Shion's arms.

A few more goodbyes were said, and in a few minutes the group from Konoha was on the road back home.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Return Home And The Problems That Await There

After a week of traveling, the group of Konoha shinobi finally reached the village. They came back in the same manner they had left, with Naruto, Hinata, and Jiraiya inside a wagon driven by Sakura and Lee, and Hanabi's team and Dansue providing the security around them.

Akane stretched her arms and rested her hands on the back of her head. "Ah, it's good to be home again."

'Whoa, deja vu.' Sakura thought, recalling Naruto doing exactly that when they returned from their mission to Wave.

"Settle down Akane-chan. And remember, before you go anywhere, we have to go give our mission report." Hanabi told her student.

"But why? Otou-san was with us and he's the one we'd have to give the report to, not Baa-chan. And he was with us while it happened so why tell him what he's already aware of?" Akane asked.

Hanabi looked surprised at that revelation but tried to hide it. 'Because... Tsunade-sama may still have questions for us." 'Damn, I'm so used to protocal I completely forgot that the man I was supposed to report everything to was there the entire time. I'm glad Akane-chan warned me now before I made an idiot of myself.'

Dansue tapped on the door to the wagon. "Hokage-sama, we're almost there."

"Good. I've got a craving for pancakes and bagels." Hinata's voice answered rather than Naruto's.

'I wonder how long _that's_ gonna last.' The electric girl told herself.

"So why can't I go to Ichiraku's right away Obasan?" Akane asked.

"Do as you're told Akane and come with us to the hokage's office." Hanabi told her. "And if I find out you sent a shadow clone rather than the actual you, so help me I'll get Gai to take my place as sensei for a week!"

"I'll be good." Akane replied rather meekly, almost fearfully even.

* * *

Tsunade smiled when she saw Naruto enter the hokage office. "FINALLY! What took you so long?"

"You expect me to rush back to the pile of paperwork that built up while I was gone?" Naruto asked, his hands on his hips.

Tsunade sighed. "As much as I want to argue that one gaki, that would make me a hypocrite. Damn your ability to use shadow clones to lighten the load." Tsunade herself never could do that since performing the jutsu adequately enough to serve a purpose would require her to drop her henge in the meantime to provide the necessary chakra.

"You're just jealous." Naruto said with his classic grin.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're back Naruto. Now you can deal with the new mess that sprang up."

Naruto did not like the sound of that. "New mess?"

"Would everybody except Naruto, Hinata, and Hanabi please leave the office for the time being?" Tsuande asked. Everyone else nodded and left, although hinata kept ahold of her son. Tsuande paid that fact no mind. "The Hyuuga council is hoping to put their seal on Neji's son this week, even though he's much younger than they usually attempt this at. Neji strongly suspects something's not right here and hopes you can find anything to delay it for a few years if not stop it entirely."

Naruto practically bared his teeth in anger and Hinata reflexively held her son tighter to herself. Not that she had anything to worry about though. Jiraiya was basically immune to the Caged Bird Seal despite the fact that Hinata was no longer the heiress to the Main House, having passed that mantle onto Hanabi instead. Jiraiya had no signs of inheriting the byakugan, was registered under the Uzumaki clan rather than the Hyuuga clan so they had no jurisdiction there, and no Hyuuga was foolish enough to actually try and seal the son of the hokage. That was why Hinata remained unsealed too, because sealing her would prove very hazardous to them with Naruto in office.

Hanabi stepped forward. "Who the hell thinks this is a good idea? His son is barely over a year old. Applying the seal now could make him mentally retarded for the rest of his life."

When it came to applying the Caged Bird Seal, there was a small window of opportunity in which to do it without risk to the receiver. Generally that window was between the ages of three and five. Doing it younger than that would present a strong risk of impairing the still-developing nervous system and cognitive thinking of the child and thus make them mentally slow for life and high risk of eventual insanity. Doing it older than that would present a strong risk of damaging the memory sections of the brain and the baser motor skills, rendering them clumsy and forgetful, never good traits for a shinobi.

"I asked the same thing." Tsunade stated calmly. "From what I gather, someone in the Hyuuga clan has been thinking of a way to alter the seal and theorizes they have a model that is safe to apply to those younger than the standard age of four. They wanted to test it out on Neji's son, but another in the clan felt this wasn't such a good idea and came to me, telling me of the situation."

"Have they done anything yet?" Naruto asked.

"No. I approached them immediately and demanded to know the full scope of this situation. Naturally they said that since I am only the acting hokage at the time and I am not a Hyuuga, this is not a matter for me to get involved in. However, I was able to convince enough to them that since you, the official hokage, do have a connection to the Hyuuga you have a right to get involved here and thus you have a right to have all the information here. Because of that, the Hyuuga have forced themselves to delay any actions until your return."

"What did Neji and Tenten have to say about this? As the parents they have the right to determine if they want their child to be the volunteer here." Naruto asked.

"They are appalled by the idea. Both of them admitted to being aware of the possibility of their son being sealed _someday_, they are not amused by someone pressing the issue right now. The Hyuuga clan does have other candidates selected too, but they are all against taking the risk so the Hyuuga council is pushing for someone to have to be forced to volunteer if the matter isn't resolved soon." Tsunade explained.

Naruto put on his stern face. "Get me the Hyuuga who started this issue. I want to hear from them why they think this is a good idea and why they're so persistant on this." He then turned towards Hanabi. "Go ahead and dismiss your team, and tell the others they can go home too."

Hanabi nodded. "Will do, and I'll go get the idiot Hyuuga as well. But first, can I have the payment for my students so they can get their hard-earned money?" Tsunade handed her the already-written paychecks for Team Three and handed them to Hanabi, who then left the room.

Hinata turned towards her husband. "I think I'll ask Akane-chan to take Rai-chan home with her." Naruto nodded and Hinata left the room too.

"Does that mean I'm relieved of duty here?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes, but I'd prefer it if you stayed to help in this upcoming meeting."

"Okay." The slug sannin said, then looked a bit sadder. "Oh, one more thing Naruto. While you were gone, we lost a team of last year's genin."

Naruto looked alarmed. "What?"

Tsunade nodded solemnly. "Yeah, apparently the team ran across some rabid bears on the way to Hoshi. They were attacked at night, and the genin on patrol at the time got completely mauled. He alerted the others, but they had to run rather than fight since they saw signs a ninja they couldn't locate was leading the attack. They reached the poison-filled canyon that borders Hoshi and tried to cross it to safety, but a trap went off and the two genin fell into the canyon. One broke their neck in the fall, but the other survived, however, they inhaled too much of the poisonous vapors to survive the trip back here. So only the jounin instructor got out alive."

Naruto looked mournful, as did Tsunade. As hokages, this wasn't the first time they heard a team had died on the mission they assigned, but hearing it never got easier. "Which team was it?"

"It was the one currently led by Gai." Tsunade answered.

With Neji, Tenten, and Lee all in their twenties and no longer needing his instructions, Gai decided a year ago to take on a new team of genin and teach them his ways. He got along with them well, although this time there was no student that wished to mimic him like Lee had done.

"How is Gai taking it?" Naruto asked.

"Not well. He's been training with Lee almost nonstop but without his trademark enthusiasm. It's got Lee worried, and believe it or ot, even Lee thinks Gai is training too much now."

Naruto almost dropped his jaw. "Lee's saying Gai needs to slow down? What next? Shino carries around bug spray?" He said this without any humor in his voice though.

"I'm hoping to keep him unaware of Neji's problem. Under the circumstances, I have a feeling he may take his former student's issues a bit personally now and may end up making things worse." Tsunade added.

Naruto nodded. "I can see that. What if we gave him a mission to keep him occupied and out of town until it's resolved?"

"I thought of that, but I wanted to give him some time here first to get the worst of his grieving out of his system. Working with Lee and being with friends helps him more than having a job to do. Also, I needed him to relax a bit before sending him on any important missions."

Naruto nodded again. "Good idea. You're a good hokage baa-chan. I don't think I could have learned from anyone better on how to do this job."

Tsunade smiled and Hinata came back into the room empty-handed, hugging her husband when she did. "The kids are on their way home dear. Hanabi will probably be back in an hour or two though."

"Good." Naruto said as he hugged his wife. "Say, Hinata, today's already looking to be a stressful day. What do you say we lock the office for an hour and have some fun for a bit?"

"Sounds good to me." Hinata answered, as she was currently in the part of her pregnancy that made her crave intimacy more.

"I'm still here you know." Tsunade told them.

Naruto was already nuzzling Hinata's neck. "Then you better leave right now baa-chan."

* * *

Akane was walking down the streets of Konoha holding Jiraiya on top of her shoulders. The little boy seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.

"Hey Rai-chan, wanna see nee-chan's favorite place in town before we go home?" She asked him.

"What is it Nee-chan?" He asked.

"It's right this way. If you're good, I'll get you some candy while we're out too." She told him, glad she had already cashed her check. Thanks to Naruto and Hinata she was very responsible with money, but like Naruto couldn't resist the occasional sweet tooth splurge.

"I'll be good." The three year old said eagerly.

Akane kept on walking, and soon a familiar scent hit her nose. She turned a corner and saw three of her old classmates sitting on a bench. "Hi Shiba-chan. Didn't expect to run into you."

The Inuzuka girl looked over and saw her friend approaching and smiled. "Oh hi Akane-chan. Are you back from your mission already?"

"Yeah, and it was a tough one. I actually had to fight against two Iwa nin while I was out."

Shiba looked amazed. "Really?"

Akane nodded. "Yep. One of them used bees and the other used bombs."

Shiba's teammates looked impressed too. "What all happened?" Her teammate Yoshimaru asked. Yoshimaru had always reminded Akane of Lee, but only because he liked taijutsu so much. Yoshimaru was capable of performing ninjutsu, unlike Lee, but he felt that taijutsu was really the core necessity of a ninja. So he emphasized his training in that department but without neglecting his other skills. So he didn't match up to Lee's genin levels by a long shot, and was much quieter.

Shiba's other teammate just listened quietly for now. He was Kioshi, a member of the Kurama clan. His clan did suffer a few casualties years ago when his relative Yakumo briefly lost control of her powers, but his parents had been away on business that night along with a few others, so there were actually more Kurama members around than most people generally thought of. Kioshi had not inherited the clans kekkei genkai, but he was talented in genjutsu.

Akane told her friends team the tale. "When we got to our destination, we saw it was damaged. We found that Iwa nins attacked before we could get there to steal the priestess's baby. I had to find this guy with mouths on his hands by myself for a time. After she was born, one of the nurses turned out to be a spy for Iwa that tried to kidnap her but we caught her and fought her and her partner. We won and the mouth-hand guy died and the fake nurse should be in Konoha's prison right now."

"Sounds a lot more fun than our last mission." Shiba said with a hint of envy and annoyance.

"It wasn't that bad. You just didn't like it because it involved a cat." Kioshi commented.

Shiba frowned but looked at the ground by her feet. "If I have to go chase one more cat for money like that, I'm catching it with my sword."

"Come on Shiba-chan, cats aren't that bad." Kioshi told her.

Shiba scoffed. "Yeah right. Cats are disgusting. Why would anyone want an animal that defecates indoors and vomits on carpets all the time? At least canines can be taught not to."

"We're not saying you have to take it home with you, just return it to the person who lost it." Yoshimaru added.

Shiba crossed her arms. "If they want it back so bad they should go catch the hairball-barfing couch-scratcher themselves."

It looked like the two boys were about to argue some more, but Akane spoke up. "I wouldn't push the issue if I were you boys. Shiba-chan's just that way for as long as I've known here. She hates cats as much as I love ramen."

Yoshimaru almost laughed. "Whoa, that's saying something. I don't think anyone in the world loves that stuff more than you do." Akane had quite a reputation among her peers, her love of the salty noodles being only part of it.

"I'm pretty sure her father loves it more." Shiba claimed.

"So if you and your father were to compete in a ramen-eating contest, who would win?" Kioshi asked.

Akane put her hand on her chin and looked upwards, giving that some serious thought. After a minute or two, she just shrugged. "Y'know, I have no idea. Would it be a contest of speed or quantity?"

"Does it matter?" Shiba's entire team asked in unison.

"Yeah. Because if it's about speed, Okaa-san can beat us both. I still can't figure out how. If it's about quantity, then there's an actual challenge."

"Back on our original subject," Kioshi cut in. "I think I speak for all of us Akane-san when we say congratulations on a job well done."

"Thanks Kioshi-san. And speaking of ramen, I'm really hungry for some now thanks to you guys. I'll see you later, and good luck on your first out-of-the-village mission." She told them as she walked off.

"Candy, Nee-chan?" Jiraiya asked.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot." She said before turning a different direction to go get her brother his treat first.

* * *

Far away from Konoha, a cloaked figure rested in an empty room. "So how are things going?"

Four sets of eyes revealed themselves. One was amber, one was jade, one was violet, and the last was teal. The amber eyed one spoke first. "We are doing as you asked, Your Majesty, and observing the first eight in their villages. As expected, they are quite comfortable where they are and show no signs of revealing their true nature. All because of the ninth and the one she follows encouraging this uncouth behavior."

The cloaked one groaned. "I'm not surprised, but I still don't like it. What do each of you have to report individually?"

The amber eyed one continued. "In the desert, 1 and 7 are enjoying themselves. They are learning much there and have proven themselves obedient to the kazekage. 1 is more likely to go for the kill than 7 is, so to crush them you may want to start with her, but caution must be taken for 1 is also quite hard to deceive. Also, I have reason to believe that 1 carries with them as special weapon, unlike any the previous incarnations ever had. 7 keeps her skills simple yet deadly effective. Defeating her will not be as easy as it sounds."

The jade eyed one followed. "In the forest, 3 and 6 are progressing at a rate I didn't expect. The two have proven incredibly effective together and when they fight in pairs few can stand up to them. Separating them is the only way to have a chance against them unless you bring them to a place where you have the advantage, but even then they will not go down easily."

The violet eyed one then spoke. "In the mountains, 4 and 5 have done well. The two are almost polar opposites yet their skills do enable them to work well together. But unlike the two mentioned before me, my targets do not spend all their time together. 5 appears to be more mellow than 4, who is quite for lack of a better word 'perky'. Separating them will not be a problem, but I don't recommend taking either of them lightly even if they are faced alone. 4 could kill us all on a whim and 5 is quite clever despite the mellow attitude."

The teal eyed one then said what they had to. "And in my region, 2 and 8 are doing phenomenally well. 2 may at first look like an airhead, but I'd rather face a mountain lion than her even when she's in a good mood. And 8 is almost impossible to defeat without something incredibly devastating or if she lets you win. In our case, that's not going to be a option."

The cloaked one just scoffed. "They are feeble, limiting what they should do for their potential, just like 9."

"With all due respect Your Majesty, even if they have not reached their full potential, it would be beyond foolish to disregard their strength entirely." The violet eyed one stated. "They do have strength and they know how to use it, even if it's not all they could have."

"True, but that's why I have you four to observe them and find their limits and weaknesses. From what I gather, the eight in question are virtually dependent on each other in pairs. 4 and 5 are less dependent, but they must be aware how strong they are together."

"Do you agree the smart thing to do is separate them all and attack them one by one?" The amber eyed one asked.

"Yes, but it must be done carefully. I do not want to repeat Akatsuki's mistake of taking them down one at a time, thus giving the rest time to prepare. All eight must be dealt with simultaneously."

"When do you plan to do that? And what about the ninth?" The teal eyed one asked.

The cloaked figure growled, their own red eyes now seen from under the hood. "I personally will deal with 9 when the time comes. I've been keeping an eye on her thru other means and know what to do regarding that one. Leave her to me. As for when, I think the upcoming Chuunin Exams would be the perfect time. Now go."

The four others vanished, leaving the cloaked one alone. "In a few more months, I will be complete again."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Rokudaime Hokage Versus The Hyuuga

Naruto was currently in the living room of his house, currently just staring at the ceiling as he laid back on the couch. Hinata was next to him cuddling up against him. "It'll be okay koi, we'll figure something out."

"Thanks Hinata, but right now I'm too stressed out even for ramen to make me feel better."

"I understand. This mess with my clan is quite a headache."

"I don't blame you. That meeting did not go well." Naruto added, remembering earlier that day.

-Flashback-

Naruto, Hinata, Hanabi, and Tsunade went to the Hyuuga compound to personally discuss the matter of the suspicious new seal. The group entered the main house and instantly looked for Hiashi. Hanabi had a good idea where he would be mid-afternoon and led them to the dojo. There they saw Hiashi practicing by himself. Hanabi spoke up. "Otou-san, sorry to interrupt you, but we need to speak to you right now."

Hiashi dropped his stance and looked at his guests. "Welcome back Hanabi, Hinata, Naruto. I take it you heard the distress?"

"Yes. Can you bring us the one who started this?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, I can. With luck you will be able to put a stop to this." The Hyuuga head said before he left.

The four of them sat down in the dojo, waiting for Hiashi to bring them the Hyuuga in question. Hiashi returned after four minutes, and accompanying him was a balding elderly man with a mustache. "Everyone this is Hisuke Hyuuga, the man you requested."

"Hello Godaime-sama, Rokudaime-sama." The old man greeted.

"Hello Hisuke-san. Now, please explain to me this idea you had that you're so insistent on getting done." Naruto started.

Hisuke cleared his throat. "Before I tell you anything, I just want to remind you that there are two sides to every story and many things are taken out of context if people only hear one side of it."

"Don't preach to _me_ about people not wanting to listen to the other side of the story old man!" Naruto sternly said with all the force he could put behind his words. Hinata tried to calm him by leaning into him, but honestly she couldn't fault his anger on that particular matter.

"I suppose I shouldn't. But in any case, here's what I have to say about the issue." The old Hyuuga said. "The Caged Bird Seal as it currently is, is a subject of great controversy. Several members of past Main house generations have seeked ways to subdue it and you Rokudaime-sama are not the first hokage to seek the elimination of the seal altogether. Nidaime-sama also pushed for the banishment of the seal like you have done, and like with you, he was met with opposition."

Naruto frowned. When he became hokage a little under four years ago, one of the first things he tried to accomplish was getting rid of that accursed seal once and for all like he declared he would during the chuunin exams years ago. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he was met with a great deal of opposition.

The debate was still fresh in his mind. Naruto had stated that the seal does more harm than good by being allowed to use to discipline the bearers rather than its intended purpose and thus creating the rift between the families that will eventually inevitably lead to a war between Hyuuga. He also stated that no other clan in Konoha guards its kekkei genkai to such a degree which reflects badly upon the Hyuuga, making them look insecure or pompous, as if they're the only ones worth guarding the blood of. The Hyuuga council countered by saying that if the hokage had the right to interfere regarding clan policy and tradition then where would the line be drawn? What would stop Naruto or future hokages from passing their whims upon other clans to make them all live his way rather than their own?

In the end, the matter was forced into a vote between the Hyuuga council and Konoha shinobi council. The end result was that the Caged Bird Seal had to remain as is until a better model could be created or the Hyuuga council unanimously decided to do away with the seal altogether. Without any seal experts in Konoha and the Hyuuga still paranoid about their eyes getting out, nothing had changed yet.

"So why exactly are you working on changing the seal?" Hinata asked. "With all due respect, you did once try to force my daughter to have her mind wiped of everything she was learning from me so I have a hard time believing you're doing this just to be nice."

"That child is not a Hyuuga so she has no right to know our secrets. If enemies were to find out she knew such secrets and could capture her they could easily gain that information out of her." The elder Hyuuga countered.

Naruto and Hinata smiled. "You underestimate our little girl quite a bit." Hiashi and Hanabi then smiled too, knowing how right the two were.

"Despite that, your words did inspire me to seek a means to keep our bloodline safe without encouraging hostility amongst ourselves. After all, the branch house is quite hopeful to be released during your term in office and are probably seeking out means of modifying the seal themselves to get a desired result."

"And that's a bad thing... _how_?" Naruto asked, mostly to see what his answer would be.

"Well, considering the latent grudge they most likely will have towards the main house, the branch house will have their personal freedom without fear as their first objective. This will cause us problems if they disregard the need to keep our eyes safe, so I decided to find a means to give them what they want without sacrificing what the main house wants." Hisuke said, hoping this would satisfy the young hokage.

It didn't look like it did. "So basically you're afraid that if you don't find the answer first someone else will and they'll use it in a way that isn't more beneficial to your own ends. Is that right?"

Hisuke looked stunned then offended. "You imply that I'm just acting noble but still working in my own interests?"

"Can you look me in the eyes and say you're not hoping to find a way to ensure the branch members cannot stand up to you if they decided to?" Naruto asked back.

Hisuke looked Naruto right in the eyes. "Well we need to ensure an uprising cannot occur later on, right?"

Naruto frowned and made an unhappy growl. "That proves it. You're still trying to maintain some sort of hold over the branch members for yourself. So why the hell should I approve of this new seal, or any seal for that matter, being applied to a child acknowledged as too young in the first place?"

"How else are we to know if it works?" The elder Hyuuga responded.

Everyone else in the room was shocked by that answer, and then Naruto got to his feet, fists clenched. "This is just some sick experiment to you? You're no different than Orochimaru in my eyes. As Rokudaime Hokage. I immediately forbid this man's seal or any variation of the Caged Bird Seal to be placed on anyone under or over the accepted safe age."

Hisuke now got to his feet as if to challenge the blonde. "You cannot do that! This is a Hyuuga matter you cannot control."

"Oh but he can." Hiashi said, also rising to his feet. "As Head of the Hyuuga, I acknowledge and accept the hokage's decree. And if you paid attention Hisuke-sama, you'd be aware that he's not actually affecting anything, merely reinforcing an already existing law we Hyuuga ourselves already have."

"I still intend to see the seal put to a stop. I have not lost my resolve for that. I may not be Hyuuga, but I absolutely will not have my wife's family either destroy itself like the Uchihas or cause a civil war that will potentially drag the rest of Konoha into it."

"Do _not_ slander the Hyuuga Hokage-sama." Hisuke sternly demanded.

"And do not test my patience or mercy, old man." Naruto replied just as forcefully. "Rest assured old man that if I hear you ignore my order and seal Neji's son anyway, I will kill you or maybe let Neji do it himself. No trial, no imprisonment, just death."

"Tyrant." Hisuke muttered.

"This coming from a person who wants to brand a helpless baby with a controversial seal just to see if it works?" Naruto asked.

"Your father did it to you so how am I any different?"

Everyone in the room except Hisuke and Naruto gasped in horror at that statement. Naruto himself was so pissed off that if any of the kyuubi's chakra was still in him he'd probably have red eyes and claws right then and there. "Don't you DARE compare yourself to my father! What he did was to save lives. What you're doing is trying to control them."

"I'm still trying to give the branch members what they want." Hisuke added.

"As long as it doesn't cost you anything." Naruto countered. "I demand a meeting with the entire Hyuuga council and the shinobi council tomorrow morning. One way or another, this matter will be solved on that day." Naruto then looked at Hiashi. "Tell Neji and his family to be there too. I want them to hear the outcome directly from the source."

Hiashi nodded, and Naruto then left without a word. Hinata bowed to everyone and left with him, and Tsunade followed.

-End Flashback-

"I'm putting an end to this nonsense once and for all tomorrow." Naruto said firmly.

"What nonsense?" Akane asked as she walked past the room on her way into the kitchen for a drink of water and couldn't help but overhear that comment.

"Oh nothing dear. Just some legal issues we gotta take care of at work tomorrow." Hinata answered.

"Oh, Hanabi won't be able to train your team tomorrow, so tell your teammates." Naruto added.

"Cool. A day off." Akane said happily.

"_Or_ I could assign a substitute." Naruto replied. "Maybe I'll make you and your teammates work with Smut Lover for the day."

"Oh very funny Otou-san." The redhead replied before heading off to get her drink.

Hinata turned to face her husband. "You better find a way to keep her busy tomorrow. She's even worse than you are when she's bored."

"I heard that." Akane's voice called out, making her parents lightly laugh.

* * *

The next morning came and at 9:00 AM a meeting began. Those attending were the Hokage, Hyuuga council, and shinobi council. The civilian council were not attending since this was not a civilian matter, and Naruto had an absolute-zero-tolerance policy regarding both sides of the council trying to use their power in inappropriate ways. Within his first year in office, everyone learned to not challenge him on this.

Naruto was no Yagura, not by a long shot. He let everyone have their own opinions and gave them the opportunity to voice them if they felt the need to, but he made one point crystal clear: HE was the hokage and the council's job was to assist him, not do his job for him. They were to inform him and ensure he did not make rash impulsive or biased decisions, but they were not supposed to make decisions for him or regard him as a tie-breaker for votes or paper-signer for bureaucratic work.

After a year of reinforcing this, the council got the picture. Konoha was after all a village to house the military of the country, and the hokage was the commander of said military. What was the point of having a commander if the council felt they had all the power instead?

Naruto sat in the hokage's chair in the meeting room while the shinobi clan took their seats. The Hyuuga clan, consisting of nine Main House members and one Branch House member, along with Hanabi in Hiashi's place since he sat on the shinobi council side, sat where the civilian council traditionally did. Hinata stood beside Naruto, and Neji and Tenten sat across from him on the other end of the room. Tenten was holding her son close to herself quite protectively, as if to keep anyone from taking him from her.

"I'm pretty sure it's clear why this meeting has been called, but just in case anyone's in the dark I'll fill you in." Naruto started. "Upon my return to Konoha, I was informed that the Hyuuga clan had been experimenting on modifying their infamous seal to serve a better purpose. And they wished to apply this new seal on the head of one Kohaku Hyuuga." He then gestured towards the child in Tenten's arms. "Even though the child is far too young for the Hyuuga sealing tradition to affect, and would likely suffer permanent brain damage if subjugated to it."

Several shinobi council members frowned at the Hyuuga council but kept their tongues still, allowing Naruto to continue. "I addressed one Hisuke Hyuuga, the man who designed this new seal, in order to find out what was different about it and why he believed using it so riskily was a good idea. From what I gather, there is no difference between this seal and the current one and he is just gambling with a childs life to see if he can gain control of more Hyuuga at a younger age."

"That is not true!" Hisuke proclaimed.

Naruto gave him a barely tolerant look. "I wasn't finished Hyuuga-san." Seeing no further outbursts, Naruto addressed the councils again. "Hiashi Hyuuga, as Head of the Hyuuga clan, what is your take on this matter?"

"Personally, I find it a waste of time and a great insult to my nephew to have someone brand his son with the same regard a scientist gives a lab rat."

"Thank you." Naruto said before turning to the Hyuugas. "Branch House representative, what say you on this matter as it affects your side of the Hyuuga?"

The Branch representative, a tall man in his mid thirties who looked simialr to Hiashi but with short hair and a rounder face, stood up. "Speaking on behalf of the Branch House, I see no reason why this seal should be used if it changes nothing except the age limitations of application. That is not the goal the Main House should be trying to achieve." He then sat down.

"Thank you. Hisuke Hyuuga, anything to say on your own behalf?" Naruto said.

The old balding Hyuuga rose from his seat. "This is obvious a farce to slander my attempt to improve things for the Hyuuga."

Naruto butted in. "With all due respect Hisuke-san, does your seal still protect the byakugan by destroying it upon death or removal?"

"Yes. That's the whole point of the seal."

"And does it also inflict pain upon the one bearing it if triggered by Main House Hyuuga?" Naruto added.

"Yes. We still need to keep our subordinates in line."

"And will any of the Main house possess this seal?" Naruto added.

Hisuke looked disturbed. "No, of course not."

"Then this indeed changes nothing. How can you stand here and tell us this will improve things if by your own admittance it changes nothing?" Naruto asked.

"He's right." Tsume Inuzuka butted in. "From what I see all you're trying to do is control the Branch House at an even younger age."

"It is only a temporary thing." Hisuke said. "If the age requirements can be changed, then the other properties of it can be changed too. We just haven't figured out how yet. But we need to test the seal on a living child to ensure it works as intended, and Neji's child felt like a good choice."

"Why is that?" Hiashi asked. Up until now Hisuke had never said that.

"Because the child is not full Hyuuga. It stands to reason that should the new seal prove ineffective in it's purpose, his byakugan will not be as strongly affected as a pure Hyuuga's would have been."

Neji stood up looking like he was ready to kill the old man with his bare hands, not using the juuken to do so. "My son's life is _expendable_ to you? This is exactly why I used to loathe, and still to a point dislike, the Main House."

"How many of you in the Hyuuga support the idea of experimenting on the newborns of the Branch House to see if this modified seal works?" Naruto asked.

Hisuke looked and saw none of his fellow Hyuuga were supporting him. "What? But I thought you approved."

The Hyuuga right next to Hisuke shook his head. "Not after hearing it put like that. Hokage-sama is right Hisuke-san. This venture will accomplish nothing but to spur the Branch House further. We cannot accept this seal, regardless of if it worked or not."

"Good. Now that that is settled, I have one more thing to say." Naruto said, regaining everyone's attention. "This incident proved to me that this will likely happen again and again until a permanent issue can be resolved. Unfortunately, both houses of the Hyuuga want opposite things, control and freedom. Both cannot be achieved by one means, so a compromise must be issued. And since the Hyuugas have not been able to do that by themselves, I as Rokudaime Hokage may have to get involved myself."

"You can't do that and you know it. That's an abuse of power." A female Main House Hyuuga told him.

"You want this issue resolved right?" Naruto asked, and got many nods. "Then since you cannot find an answer on your own, maybe you should consider help from an outside source. What's more important, the outcome or being able to take credit for making it happen?"

That made the Hyuuga think about their options. What was more important?

Hiashi addressed them next. "What's the harm in at least hearing an outside opinion? It's not like Hokage-sama is demanding we submit to someone else's whim here."

Shikaku Nara spoke up. "The way I see it, there are logically two options. Either cease the practice of the seal altogether, or give the Main house the seal too."

"I agree." Shibi Aburame concurred.

"Neither of those are an option." A Hyuuga declared.

"Why exactly is that?" Inoichi Yamanaka asked.

"We need the seal to keep enemies from learning the secrets of our bloodline, and if the Main House were to bear a seal then what would be the point of two separate houses in the clan?"

"What's the point of having two houses in the first place?" Chouza Akimichi asked.

"A group is stronger when it's unified, not divided." Tsume commented.

"We need two houses. One to lead the clan and one to do the work of the clan." Hisuke stated.

"And why can't the two be on equal terms?" Hanabi asked, surprising the other Hyuuga since they didn't expect the heiress to side against them. "I mean, the other clans have leaders but they don't go around literally rubbing it in the faces of the other clan members. I know it's been a tradition from back before the Hyuuga joined Konoha, but maybe the time for that tradition has passed."

"Then what do you propose?" One of the Hyuuga asked, sounding like he didn't like where this was going.

"We do what Nara-san suggested. We either eliminate the seal entirely and make the Branch House feel like family again, or we brand the Main House to make us know their pain and separate the status gap we impose upon ourselves. If you have a better idea, please share it." Hanabi replied.

No one spoke, for even they admitted there were no better ideas. They just didn't know which one to accept.

"This meeting will not end until a decision is made." Naruto reminded them.

"I for one personally feel the better option is to do away with the seal in this case. After all, with it gone, the Hyuuga will be motivated to train themselves to be stronger so our bloodline is not stolen without the seal to keep it safe. Plus the Branch House wants freedom, not power, so they are unlikely to try a coup." Hiashi said.

"And even if they did, if the Main House is so weak that the only way they_ can_ save themselves is to use the seal, then maybe the clan's better off with new leadership." Hanabi commented.

One of the Hyuuga Main House members stood up. "I agree. It's the best option available to us."

The Branch representative stood up too. "I can assure you that a revolution will not happen in such a scenario. Provided those already bearing the seal have it removed too."

The entire shinobi council showed they preferred this, but it looked like a couple of Hyuugas still resisted. So Naruto addressed them. "It sounds to me like a good deal has been made. If you have a problem with it, please speak up or let it go."

Hisuke looked unkindly at Naruto. "Hokage-sama, this is a breach of your power. You are forcing your will onto a clan not your own. This cannot be accepted."

"I did no such thing. All I did was bring you here, gave you a chance to explain yourself to others, and hear the viewpoints of others before you did anything. The ones who made your clan decide what to do were Hiashi-san and Hanabi-san, not me. I just simply helped you to see what your options were."

"He's right." Hiashi said, ruining any refusals the Hyuugas may have had to justify ignoring any such order. "All in favor of the immediate cease of the Caged Bird Seal and removal of existing seals?"

Several Hyuuga members raised their hands with enthusiasm, and the rest, including Hisuke, did too mostly to save face. Thus the Hyuuga council had finally unanimously voted in one direction. Naruto smiled. "Good, then it's settled. The Branch House is hereby freed of their burden effective immediately. I will give the Hyuuga one week to remove all seals, starting with the active shinobi and the younger members. Is there any further business?" No one said anything. "In that case, meeting adjourned. Hanabi, feel free to have the day off or if you choose, train your students."

Everyone filed out of the room and went home. Neji and Tenten made sure to personally thank Naruto for saving their son. When they had a private moment, Hinata hugged Naruto. "Thank you koi. You finally changed the clan just like you promised ten years ago."

"Too bad I couldn't do it sooner." Naruto commented.

Hinata kissed her husband. "Since we don't have any more business for the next couple of hours, what do you say we go to your office and I give you a reward for your hard work, Hokage-sama?" The pleased look in her eyes said enough.

"Did my ero-wife plan today's schedule that way?" Naruto asked, knowing he rarely had a morning with enough free time for such things.

Hinata nodded. "I had faith you'd succeed today. So I wanted to surprise you."

Naruto smiled and hugged his wife tighter. "This must be my lucky day."


	22. Chapter 22

_The crossover is being posted separately now. Sorry to all of you who now can't review this chapter because of that._

_Pictures of characters are now available. Go to my profile for links. _

Chapter 22: Akane's First Date

Naruto was working in his house's garden early in the morning a few days after the council meeting with the Hyuugas. As ordered, the Branch House of the Hyuuga were being freed from their seals, and they couldn't be happier. And with their moral boosted, they would do their jobs better, and hopefully this good mood would spread to the rest of the ninja.

"Good morning Hokage-sama." He heard a young voice call out from his left. Naruto turned to see Noburo lookng over the fence that separated their two houses.

"Ah, good morning Noburo. Aren't you up early?"

"A little, but there was something I wanted to ask you before you went to work."

Naruto set down his gardening tools. "Sure, I've got time."

"I was wondering..." Noburo started, blushing lightly but still noticeable. "Could you tell me when Akane-chan has some free time? We wanted to celebrate completing our first out-of-the-village mission but so far we haven't had the opportunity to yet."

"Ah, I see. I wanted to do the same thing when I got back home from mine too. Too bad my teammates had no interest, or at least no interest in celebrating with me at the time. But anyway, what exactly did you have in mind?"

Noburo cleared his throat. "Well, she was hoping we could grab lunch then maybe see a movie or go for a swim or something. She was hoping we could do this during an afternoon when we were free from training. Could you arrange that?"

"Strange how you keep saying she's saying this yet Akane-chan hasn't said anything to me about this." Naruto commented.

"She told me something about how boys are supposed to ask the girl's dad for permission first or something like that." The blue-haired boy replied.

"Permission? Why?" Naruto asked.

"I think she thinks it's a date." Noburo quietly admitted, hoping Naruto wasn't one of those overprotective fathers when it came to his daughter seeing boys.

"A date huh?" Naruto asked, not sure how to feel. "And why exactly would she think that Noburo?"

"Because she's a girl?" The blue-haired boy answered, unsure.

"You've got a point there. But tell me, why should I give permission for my twelve year old girl to be out on a date?"

Noburo did not know how to reply so he said the first thing that came to mind. "What's she going to do if she hears you said no?"

Naruto thought it over. 'Hmm... if I know Akane-chan, she'd go do it anyway just for the fun of it. I would have back when I was her age.' "In that case Noburo, can you be ready and at my office by noon?"

"I think so Hokage-sama, but why?"

"You'll know when you get there."

* * *

Akane was in the bathroom brushing her teeth when she heard a knock on the door. "Yeah?" She called out, wondering what they wanted.

"Akane-chan, it's me. Are you decent?" Hinata asked.

Akane spat out some toothpaste. "Yeah I'm fine Okaa-san. You need in here?"

Hinata opened the door and came in, closing the door behind her. "No, not yet anyway. I just wanted to tell you that your father decided to give you a day to yourself."

Akane arched an eyebrow. "Really? I thought I'd have to wait until after my next out-of-the-village mission before I got another personal day."

Hinata shrugged. "Well Naruto does believe you should be allowed to have some fun and still be a kid while you can. Your father and I couldn't much when we were your age, so he wants to give you that chance." Hinata then had a sly 'I know exactly what you're thinking' look on her face. "Are you telling me there's nothing you'd like to do during the afternoon with a friend if you had the spare time?"

'She knows something, but what?' Akane asked.

Not getting a response, Hinata just shrugged and closed her eyes. "Alright then, I guess I'll go tell your father that you'd rather go do some more D-ranks than what he had planned for you. It's a shame, you and Noburo would have had fun."

Akane almost could not hide her gasp. 'Wait, that means... Noburo-kun talked to Otou-san like he said he would, and Otou-san's trying to give me some free time to do this?' "Wait Okaa-san, don't jump to conclusions like that!"

Hinata smiled. "Oh, interested now are we? In that case, you better get ready, because your father says he's going to get something set up for you to enjoy. If I were you, I'd wash my hair, get on some nice clothes, and be in his office at noon so he can tell you the rest."

Akane nodded, and as soon as her mother left the room she got into the shower. 'I can't believe this is really happening. My parent's are the greatest.'

* * *

For the rest of the morning, Akane had the house to herself and her little brother. By the time she was dried and dressed, her parents had gone to work and left her a note to eat a non-ramen breakfast before she left the house. She ate a bowl of cereal and played with Jiraiya, looking forward to what was going to happen later.

For appearances sake, Akane chose to wear her standard red-and-black jumpsuit, so no one in the village would get any ideas when they saw her walk to the hokage tower. But once she was with Noburo about to go somewhere, she would make the outfit change to a prettier one that would surely make Noburo look at her with unperverted interest. 'I never thought I'd use Baa-chan's gift this way, but it works so why not?'

Akane also applied a light amount of make-up to her cheeks and tried to make her hair look extra nice. She didn't use any perfume, but she did make sure to wear some deodorant. 'I'm still not sure if this stuff actually works for me. Foxes don't sweat after all.' Ignoring the question, the redhead got everything she needed, then remember one last thing. She made a few clones to watch over Jiraiya while she was gone and bolted out the door.

* * *

Akane got there and walked right into the hokage's office. Since all the personnel in the tower knew who she was, no one ever bothered asking her for I.D. or if she had an appointment. It was sort of like how they regarded Konohamaru back when the Sandaime had been in charge.

When Akane came into the room, she saw her parents working on some paperwork as usual. Hinata smiled as Akane closed the door. "My, you certainly look nice Akane-chan."

"Thanks Okaa-san."

Naruto smiled. "I'm glad you're here Akane-chan, now you can watch over Neji and Tenten's kid for them while they're out of town tonight."

Akane dropped her jaw and widened her eyes, but didn't make a sound. Naruto quickly pulled out a camera and took her picture before she could react. "What the...?" She finally said.

"Didn't your mother tell you? I needed you and Noburo available this afternoon because Neji and Tenten are going out of town for the day to celebrate Neji having his seal removed and they needed someone to watch Kohaku for them. Noburo doesn't have a lot of experience watching over one year olds but you did fine with Jiraiya-chan so I offered your services for them. Will that be a problem?" Naruto explained, smiling deviously the entire time.

"I told you that your father had something planned for you and if you said no you and Noburo would miss out on it. What did you think I meant?" Hinata added, smiling just as deviously.

'They... they both... I can't believe it. They both tricked me. Me! I've been pranked by my own parents.' Akane thought in shock. The two adults couldn't keep themselves from laughing anymore and finally let it out, making Akane frown. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TWO! ARE YOU TRYING TO BE JERKS?"

"Settle down Akane-chan." Naruto said when he could. "That was just a joke. Noburo's on his way right now so you two can go enjoy yourselves. I'm giving you the day off from training for this, but I can't promise I can do this again later. So have fun and stay out of trouble."

Akane came up and hugged her father. "Thank you Otou-san. And don't ever trick me like that again."

* * *

Noburo got there on time and was ready to go. He had no idea what Akane would do if he disappointed her and he didn't want to find out. Sure, he liked her as a friend and even thought she was cute, but that didn't mean she couldn't intimidate him.

During the morning, Naruto had some clones go out and make arrangements for his daughter to have a good time that day, and Hinata had some bonding time with her as well. Hinata never got a chance to do this with her own mother as a teenager so she wanted to make sure Akane got it. Someone to share knowledge on how to interact with a boy the right way in situations like this. The one Hinata had to turn to for that when she started dating Naruto had been Tenten.

Noburo was brought to the tower by one of Naruto's clones, who had handed him all the things he needed to cover their entertainment that day. He was wearing a forest green shirt with sleeves that ended just before his elbows and navy blue pants along with white shoes. He still wore his hitai-ate to keep his hair under control, but he brought none of his ninja equipment with him.

"Hey Akane-chan, you ready?" He nervously asked when he saw her. Part of it was because her parents were right there watching and because he had never done anything like this before. But another reason was because of how she looked. Akane never struck him as the type of girl who emphasized her appearance, probably because of her jumpsuit and how she didn't complain when she got dirty training. But seeing Akane as she was now, showed him when she wanted to she could look stunning.

Akane had changed her jumpsuit to look like a red T-shirt and a black skirt that went down to her knees. Her shirt was loose enough to not hug her developing curves but still show she did have them, and her skirt kept her modest but didn't look prudish either. Her shoes were black and made for shinobi work since she had no dress shoes. Her red hair seemed to have a shine to it she didn't normally have and earrings could be seen, the same ones Hinata had given her on her ninth birthday, which were a Hyuuga heirloom that looked like diamond-studded yin-yangs.

Akane blushed and avoided direct eye contact. "Y-y-yeah, I am. Let's g-go." She said. Behind her, Naruto and Hinata did their best to avoid laughing at how much like Hinata their confident daughter was acting.

"Have fun you two. Be home before 8:00 Akane-chan." Naruto told her, who nodded than left the room with Noburo. When they left, Naruto wrapped his arm around his wife's waist. "Looks like our little girl's growing up."

Hinata nodded. "We both knew this day would come eventually koi."

* * *

"So what are we going to do first Noburo-kun?" Akane asked when they stepped outside into the sunlight.

"I was thinking first we go check out that hamburger stand I mentioned a while ago, then go see a movie, and after that go for a swim. Does that sound good?"

Akane nodded. "Sure. Did you bring a swimsuit?"

"Yeah, it's under my clothes. Do you need to go home and grab one?" Noburo asked.

"Nope, I'll just transform my clothes when I need to. Baachan's gift works wonders for any situation."

The two walked and chatted until they reached a small restaurant stand labeled Takeniwa's that looked much like Ichiraku's but the aroma coming from it was completely different. It smelled of cooking meat and grease rather than boiling noodles and broth. The scent of fresh meat greatly appealed to Akane's baser instincts while the scent of grease made her sick.

Noburo noticed her brief discomfort. "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Just a small bad smell in the air but it'll be nothing soon enough."

An old man came up to them from behind the counter. He wasn't as old as Teuchi but he couldn't possibly be more than ten younger. This guy had long grey hair that looked like Kiba's but less spiked and had light blue eyes. He wore a maroon chef's apron over a yellow long sleeved shirt and black slacks. The most distinguishing features he appeared to have were deep wrinkles on his face much like Itachi had and a black ring on his right ring finger. He smiled when he stopped in front of them. "Hi, welcome to my shop. I'm Washi Takeniwa. What would you like to order?"

The two quickly looked at the available options displayed behind him. Noburo ordered first. "I'll take a regular hamburger, medium size, no onions, with fries and a coke."

"I'd like a bacon cheeseburger with just mustard on it and same to go with it." Akane added.

"Alright, that'll be..." Takeniwa paused to add up the total. "1,350 ryo." Noburo and Akane each handed him their part of the bill. "Your orders will be ready in about 5-10 minutes." He then went in back to get started.

"So how are things at your home now that Neji-ojiisan has his seal removed?" Akane asked to kill time.

Noburo mock-groaned. "With the way they're acting you'd swear they were trying to have a second kid."

Akane snickered. "Reminds me of when Otou-san and Okaa-san were trying to have Rai-chan. I'm glad I'm such a heavy sleeper. Especially since I never close my door."

"Why?" Noburo asked. "If you don't want to hear anything, shouldn't you close it?"

Akane shook her head. "It makes me feel... imprisoned. Not something I enjoy."

Noburo didn't really get what she was saying and just shrugged it off as a personal quirk of hers. "So besides becoming Hokage, what else do you want to do as a ninja?"

Akane blushed. "Promise not to laugh?"

"Of course."

"Y'see, I decided that if by chance I can't become hokage, I... at least want to become a sannin. Like Baa-chan. But being hokage is my true goal. If I do, then maybe this world can finally know some peace."

Noburo's eyes widened. "You think you can make world peace real?"

"Not by myself, obviously. But you see... my cousins in other villages want to be kages in their villages too. If we all become kages, we'll have no reason to ever go to war with each other, and we can keep the other villages from trying as well. Me and my cousins will create the first true alliance between all villages that'll last longer than just until a war ends. I want to become hokage to bring peace to Konoha and soon the world."

Noburo looked at her silently, making her nervous. Then he smiled. "That might actually work. Of course it requires your cousins to become kages too. Do you think they can do it?"

"I sure as hell hope so. But they're going to have as much trouble earning their village's respect as I am. My only saving grace is... well, you know."

This time the boy-haired knew exactly what she wasn't directly saying. "I see. Don't worry. I have faith you can succeed."

Akane blushed and smiled. "Thanks Noburo-kun."

A few minutes later Takeniwa came back and gave them their orders. The two ate and talked about various unimportant topics such as what they wanted to do on future missions and what they heard about the older shinobi their families knew. After a while, they finished and got ready to leave.

"Thanks for coming. Be sure to tell your friends." Takeniwa called out, receiving a wave from the two departing preteens.

"We better hurry. Otou-san got us tickets to a movie I've been dying to see and it starts in about twenty minutes." Akane told her friend.

"Which one?" Noburo asked. 'Please tell me it's not a chick flick.'

"That new Planet of the Apes movie. You ever see the commercials?"

Noburo almost stopped walking. "Really? That one looks really cool. I didn't think it was your type though."

Akane smiled her foxy grin and made him walk faster. "A movie where animals take control from people? Sounds like my kind of movie. Only thing better would be Planet of the Foxes."

Noburo laughed. "I can hear it now. 'Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty fox'."

Akane laughed too. "Come on let's hurry. I still want to grab something to snack on and find a good seat."

"We just ate. You want more?"

"What do I care? I barely ever gain weight, and all the weight I do gain goes to my chest anyway." The redhead replied, practically pulling him by the wrist now to get to the theater.

"So does that mean-?"

"Don't ask that Noburo-kun."

He still tried to picture it, and had to hold back a nosebleed.

* * *

Thanks to Akane's insistence, the two made it to the theater and had time to grab something to drink and a box of candy for Akane since Noburo wasn't hungry. The movie wasn't too crowded which Akane was grateful for, mainly because that meant fewer scents to distract her.

It ended and the two walked outside. "That almost demands a sequel." Akane commented.

"Most movies nowadays do." Noburo added.

"True, but I liked it and wouldn't mind seeing more. What was your favorite part?" Akane asked.

The blue-haired boy thought it over. "I think maybe the big fight or when the chimp spoke."

"The fight at the end was by far the best part."

Noburo looked at the sky. "It's still warm out and we've got plenty of time. Wanna go swimming?"

"Sounds like fun. Where at?"

"How many lakes are here?"

Akane shrugged. "I never counted. Only one I know off the top of my head is the one Okaa-san showed me years ago and still takes me too occasionally."

Noburo shrugged. "Good enough for me. Lead the way."

This time Akane didn't practically drag her teammate to where they were heading, but she was still anxious to get there. This lake had always been special to her. It was the place where she first called Hinata her mother, it was the place where Naruto taught her how to walk on water and skip stones, it was even where Rai-chan said his first word, 'fox'. Overall, it was about as special to her as the top of the Hokage Monument was too.

The two got to the secluded lake and Akane was glad to see no one else was there. She always felt a tad bit territorial over this area, even though legally it was public land that could be used by anyone wanting a swim or something. "We're here. Let's hop in." She told her friend. Before she did jump into the water, Akane used her transformation ability on her clothes again, turning her outfit into a red one-piece swimsuit with a black strip going up and down the center of both front and back. Without turning around, she jumped right into the water and made a large splash.

Noburo shielded himself from the water but still got wet. Groaning, he took off his shirt and shorts, revealing a set of royal blue swim trunks underneath. 'Damn, she looked good in a swimsuit. I better not offend her. If she doesn't kill me for being a pervert, her father will.'

Akane came up and shook some water out of her hair. "You coming in?" She asked when she saw her companion had yet to enter the water. 'Not a bad body. Not great but he is my age so I can't expect much even if he is a shinobi.'

Noburo mock-frowned. "I prefer to get in slowly." He said as he waded in, making sure to be careful where he stepped.

"That's boring."

"Not all of us are Uzumakis you know."

Akane giggled. "Good, because I'd think to think I'd have to commit incest someday." Noburo groaned, making her laugh harder.

The two played in the water for a few hours. Mostly they just splashed each other or had races. Noburo won several of them once he realized Akane kept reverting back to dog-paddling no matter how else she tried to swim, allowing him to swim more professionally. Noburo also took the opportunity to get a little more training in and try to stand on water again. He had to leave Land of Demons before he got the chance to get it completely down, but trying it for fifteen minutes here allowed him to finish the training properly. Now he and Akane could stand and walk on water with their chakra.

After a while, they had to stop. Noburo felt his skin was starting to burn so they got out of the water and sat down in the shade of a tree. Akane moved to the opposite side because she felt Noburo couldn't keep his eyes off her legs and bosom. As the two sat down, they dried off using towels Noburo had sealed away for when they finished.

"I had a pretty good time Noburo-kun." Akane told him as she toweled off her hair.

"Me too. Hey, what time is it?" He replied, drying off his arms.

"I didn't bring a watch."

Noburo looked for his watch which he had to take off to go swimming. "Good. It's just a few minutes after six."

"So we got about two hours left before I have to go home."

"Actually, Nee-san told me she wanted me home for dinner so we only really have about one hour left." Noburo corrected.

"Oh. Okay then, what do we do until then?" Akane asked, now drying off her legs.

Noburo finished drying himself and folded his wet towel. "I have no idea."

Akane thought it over. "To be honest, neither do I. Should we just kill time or call it a day?"

'The tone of her voice makes it sound like she doesn't care either way, but I'm sure she doesn't want this to end just yet.' Nobro thought. "Why don't we rest for a minute here and then maybe find something to do?"

"Sounds fine to me."

The two ended up lying down in the shade and just looking at the passing clouds. They weren't Naras, but they did admit this was a good way to kick back and relax at least once in a while. But Akane could never have the patience to do this as often as Shikamaru did.

After what felt like a half hour, Akane sat up. "Well Noburo-kun, I don't think we can find anything in what time we have left now. Nothing that would be worth the trip anyway. Maybe we should just head home."

Noburo looked at his watch. "Yeah you're right. By the time we got anywhere good it would be time to leave. Let's go home." He stood up and got dressed again while Akane transformed her swimsuit back into a red t shirt and black skirt. After that the two walked back to their homes, making meaningless small talk to avoid any uncomfortable silence. They stopped in front of Akane's house.

"Thanks for today Noburo-kun. We oughta do it again someday."

"We may not have time for a while."

Akane shrugged. "Next time doesn't have to be as long. An hour or so would be good enough. Anyway I'll see you tomorrow fr training. Bye." She said as she walked to her house.

"Bye Akane-chan." Noburo called back as he went to his house next door.

Akane found the door unlocked and went inside. Right away she smelled the scent of her parents but didn't see them yet. "I wonder if they're home."

Hinata walked into the main room from upstairs wearing just a bathrobe and was surprised to see her daughter coming in. "Oh hi Akane-chan. I didn't expect you to be home so early."

"Sorry if I interrupted anything."

Hinata shook her head. "No, your father and I were just relaxing. Why don't you help yourself to some ramen and stay down here quietly for another twenty minutes or so? I just need to get a bottle of wine I kept hidden in the kitchen."

Akane looked a little grossed out. "Sure Okaa-san.

Hinata smiled. "Thanks dear. Just keep it quiet." She headed off into the kitchen.

Akane sat down on the couch. 'Maybe I should do what Smut Lover does and never show up early like that again.'


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Another Mission To Another Country

A few days later Team 3 was gathered in Naruto's office. "Okay guys, I know you've only been back for a short time, but I'm afraid I need you for another mission."

"Another one?" Ichi asked, not sounding thrilled by the idea but also not worried. The only thing that did bother him was that he knew Dansue couldn't go with him anymore. She made sure he understood the last mission was a one-time thing to get him exposed to being on missions and she could not and would not let him go his entire career holding his hand.

"Yes. But for this mission, you'll be paired up with another team." Naruto told them.

Hanabi was instantly on alert. "Another team? This isn't a C-rank is it Hokage-sama." The last part was more of a statement than a question.

"It's a B-rank mission to be honest, but you won't be going on it alone." Naruto told his sister-in-law. "Your partners on this mission should be here by now. I'm not sure where they are right now. I'll wait until they get here to explain the mission."

Nearly one minute later to the second the doors opened and in walked Kakashi with his new team of students and an irritated-looking Gai. "Sorry I'm late Naruto, Gai was difficult to motivate and delayed us." Kakashi apologized. About two years ago, Naruto told his former sensei that every time he showed up late, he'd give Akane a mission to prank Kakashi. A few pranks later, Kakashi stopped being late every chance he got. Akane could be quite devious in her pranks, especially when her father encouraged it.

"Glad you're here. Akane, save it for when he returns, okay?" He said facing his daughter, who nodded, making Kakashi moan. Naruto then returned his focus to the gather ninja. "Everyone, I've been given a request to send aide..." He paused, as if hesitant to finish this statement. "...to Hoshi."

Gai suddenly gained interest in this. "Hoshi, Hokage-sama?"

Naruto nodded. "I've been getting reports from that country saying there's been a string of kidnaps for the past several months. It got worse when a Hoshi genin kunoichi on a mission was one of the abducted. Because of their small population, Hoshi fears losing more of their ninja to this and asked for Konoha's assistance. Tsunade-sama sent Gai's team to investigate this problem, but were met with tragedy." Everyone gave the green-clad jounin sympathetic looks, but he grimaced and looked down. "The kidnappings have not stopped, and are getting more aggressive. Now, I am sending you nine to Land of Bears to find and eliminate the cause."

"Wouldn't it be wiser to send some jounin in this case Naruto?" Kakashi asked. He was one of the few people that felt comfortable addressing Naruto by name when on the job. The other people were Hinata, Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura. Naruto gave all his friends the right to address him by name, but most kept things professional.

"In case your eye is getting weak Sensei, you should be able to see three jounin in this room." Naruto answered, indicating Kakashi, Gai, and Hanabi. "As for why I'm sending genin too, I have my reasons. Team 3 has already performed an out-of-village mission but that was with extra supervision, and Team 6 still needs an out-of-village mission too. A joint mission gives them safety in numbers and allows us to have everything a mission like this may require."

"Such as?" Gai asked.

"We have an Aburame and a Hyuuga here for tracking, and my daughter has all the same tracking skills as an Inuzuka so that's covered. We have ninjutsu experts and heavy hitters here too, along with someone trained with basic medical knowledge and poison handling here, which will be needed given Hoshi's environment. And Kakashi-sensei can also help in case any genjutsus are used by the target." Naruto explained.

The jounin thought it over trying to find any flaws in this while the six genin stared at each other curiously. Gai spoke first. "Do you have any leads on where the target may be, other than the country?"

'I had a feeling he'd ask that.' Naruto said before pulling out a piece of paper and looked over it. "From what I've been told, the last report of a kidnapping came from a town named Hazaka. You should be able to find it on any map of Land of Bears. Reports say a young girl disappeared during a night and there was evidence of a struggle, along with, of all things, bear tracks leaving the sight. The report says no one saw this until the next day, implying profession ninja who knew what they were doing were behind this. Hoshi nin are not sure how or why they're doing this, but they want it ended right away."

"Anything else we need to know?" Hanabi asked.

"No deaths have been reported and no witnesses saw this kidnapping or any other. The strange thing is that according to the reports, only teenage girls are targeted, generally being between the ages of 12 and 19. No one younger or older has gone missing. This is also the first time evidence of kidnapping has been left behind. I'm not sure what that means but I don't like it. Another thing, this didn't come from Hoshi, but I have heard from our spies that similar kidnappings have been happening in other countries for years."

Akane looked bothered. "Then why are we just now doing something about this?"

"Up until now Konoha hasn't been approached for this. We can't just get involved in every international problem going on just because it's an unpleasant one Akane-chan." Naruto told her. "If we did we'd be no different than Danzou who wanted everyone to be under his thumb."

Akane frowned. "You shouldn't turn a blind eye to suffering."

Naruto nodded. "True, but you also shouldn't invite yourself into other people's homes. Remember Akane-chan that Konoha only has jurisdiction within Land of Fire, meaning we cannot get involved in other country's problems without expressed permission. Doing otherwise is risking war."

Akane nodded. "Fine Otou-san."

Naruto looked at the three jounin before him. "So your mission is to go to the Land of bears near Hoshi and Hazaka Town and search for any clues to the whereabouts of the kidnappers and if possible eliminate them. If elimination is not possible, or continuing poses too high a risk of casualties, return right away. Be at the north gate in two hours." They nodded and the genin did too. "Good, you are dismissed."

The two teams and Gai then left the office.

Outside the tower, Kakashi and Hanabi dismissed their students to go get packed and Gai headed to his apartment. Before they themselves could leave, Naruto appeared before them. "Please stay you two. I've got more to tell you two the others shouldn't hear."

"Shadow clone?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto nodded. "I'm sure you two are concerned about the arrangement here. I'll tell you two the real reason I'm doing this. But you must not tell anyone else." The two jounin nodded. "Gai's team was killed on the first mission to Hoshi for a delivery. Since then he hasn't been himself. I know this mission may stir up some rather conflicitng feelings in him, but I'm certain this will also allow him to put the matter behind him and let him move on, especially if he avenges his students."

Kakashi nodded. 'I never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss the old enthusiastic Gai. He's practically a different person now.'

"I need you two there to keep him in line, as well as allow him to show a few things to your students. Maybe having some genin around to teach will do him some good too. And you Kakashi-sensei should know how to handle him best."

"So we're helping out an ally, giving one of your ninja a way to vent and resolve his grief, and giving some genin valuable experience all at once?" Hanabi summarized. The Naruto clone nodded. "Sounds risky, but you've always been one to take risks Onii-san."

"Think you can't handle it?"

"The mission or Gai?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto held in a laugh, making him sound like he coughed with his mouth closed. "Try what you can for Gai, but completing the mission is your true priority. If he's still the same when you return, I won't hold it against you."

"Thanks Naruto." Both Kakashi and Hanabi said.

"Now you better get ready. You've got less than two hours to head out. Don't be late, you know the punishment." The Naruto clone said before dispelling with a grin.

Hanabi grinned too, not worried, but Kakashi hustled. Akane showed no mercy when she wanted to humiliate someone, especially him for being late. He still got chills remembering the time she managed to paint something on the back of his vest. She had somehow gotten ahold of it when he wasn't wearing it and used paint that would be invisible for about an hour then become visible. On the back she had painted the words 'Smut Lover and Proud of it!'

You can imagine how the women reacted to that.

* * *

The genin had reached the gate first and waited for the jounin to show up. While they were waiting Akane was chatting with her friend. "How have you been Tatsu-kun? It's been a while."

The young Aburame nodded. "Yeah it has. My team's been doing well. We've mostly done normal D-ranks. I'm surprised Sensei's allowing us this B-rank right now."

"Otou-san has a lot of faith in Smut Lover, that's why."

"Smut Lover?" Tatsu's teammate Masa asked. Masa was a purple-haired boy that Akane originally thought was related to Anko, only to find out he wasn't. He was actually part of the Shikitomo family, the family that took care of Konoha's messenger birds and provided them an aviary to live in. Masa wore a blue long-sleeved shirt with a few orange stripes going across it, black pants, and had two swords, one on each side of his hip, along with a weapon pouch on both legs as well. Akane didn't remember much about him from the academy but she did know he was generally always in a good mood.

"That's my nickname for your sensei."

"That's not very respectful." Masa commented.

"But it sure fits." The third member of Team 6 said. She was Sayo Shichou, Akane's unofficial rival but not an enemy. "I do see him around my family's book store once in a while, but he never actually buys anything when I'm running the register."

Akane laughed. "Yeah, a grown man buying porn from a kid, not to mention his own student, would be very embarrassing." Last year Akane learned what exactly 'smut' meant. That was when her pranks on Kakashi really took a turn for the worse.

Sayo nodded. "At least he's a good teacher though. We're learning how to walk on water now."

Akane smirked. 'I bet Otou-san was pretty clear on Smut Lover on what to teach them and when.' "Not bad. My team already learned that. It's a tough one." Noburo and Ichi nodded.

Sayo frowned. "Must you always be a showoff?"

"Who's showing off? I'm just pointing something out." The redhead stated. "If I wanted to show off I'd show you that jutsu I created."

"You? Create a jutsu? Yeah right." Sayo commented.

"Actually it's true. She did make one. Hokage-sama even had to add it in the Forbidden Scroll but let's her use it since she can do it safely." Noburo stated.

The dark-haired girl fumed and looked away. 'Why does everything go so well for her?'

"Why is it forbidden?" Masa asked.

"It's a modified version of the shadow clone, dangerous for anyone not a jounin or me to us." Akane explained. "But enough about me, how are you guys coming along?"

"Kakashi-sensei's been giving me a few pointers on using my swords." Masa answered cheerfully.

"Really? I've never seen him use a weapon other than a kunai." Akane replied, confused.

"True, but he's encountered swordsmen before and has picked up a few things." Masa explained. Akane nodded, able to see that as true. "The only problem is he can't teach me what I really want to know."

"What's that?" Akane and Noburo asked.

"That's my secret." The purple-haired boy grinned.

Akane groaned and Tatsu spoke up. "On a similar note, You'll be happy to know I've finally been able to do that thing I've been trying to do Akane-chan."

The redhead quickly looked at her bug-using friend. "Really? That's great Tatsu-kun. I knew you could do it." She then high-fived him, with much more enthusiasm than him.

At the same time, Sayo walked up to Noburo. "Hey Noburo-kun, how have you been?" Back in the academy Sayo had been one of Noburo's admirers. She wasn't a fangirl, she had more pride then to be one of those, but she did think he was interesting. Part of it was their shared hobby of drawing. Sometimes they would spend entire breaks comparing drawings of theirs.

"I've been good. Not much has changed. How's your project coming along?" He greeted.

"Difficult. The characters are easy to draw but the background isn't." The pigtailed girl told him. Sayo wanted to create her own manga series while doing her ninja work and had already started on one in her spare time.

"It doesn't have to be perfect. Just draw what you can." The blue-haired boy told her, making her smile.

"Thanks Noburo-kun."

Akane watched this interaction and lightly frowned. 'I will not get jealous, I will not get jealous, I will not get jealous...'

All the while, Ichi sat down in the shade and minded his own business. 'Bad thing Ane-ue not coming this time. First time away from her for long. Not like. Hope I can do this.'

A few moments later, all the jounin for the mission showed up. "Ready team?" Hanabi and Kakashi both asked their students and received nods. "Then let's head out."

"What formation?" Tatsu asked.

Kakashi answered his student. "Gai will be in front since he's the fastest and if we run into any trouble he can hold them off until we can assist him. Tatsu, you and Akane will be behind him with Hanabi since you three are our trackers. Masa, Noburo, you two follow them with me so we can react accordingly in case we're ambushed from the side or behind. Sayo, Ichi, you two will bring up the rear so if we're attacked from behind you can alert us and use your traps to hinder them."

Everyone nodded and got into formation, then left Konoha heading north, wondering what threat awaited them.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The Start Of The Mission, Gathering Intel

The trip was longer than they would have preferred, but the two teams from Konoha had made it to the outskirts of Hoshi. They stopped just outside the canyon that provided the first line of defense for the small hidden village. Awaiting them on their side was a blonde Hoshi shinobi wearing a jounin vest and black clothes underneath, and a black-haired Hoshi kunoichi wearing a blue jacket with a red mesh shirt and white shorts. The man looked a bit impatient while the woman looked carefree and comfortable. Both looked to be about Kakashi's age but maybe a few years younger.

"Glad to see you could make it." The man greeted them, sounding serious and professional. "I'm Takuma Orin and this is Noyumi Jamina. We're here to inform you of the situation and provide help in any way we can."

"I'm Kakashi Hatake and this is Hanabi Hyuuga and Maito Gai." Kakashi greeted back. "Accompanying us are our genin students."

"You sure it's wise to bring kids into this?" Takuma asked.

"Lighten up Takuma-kun. It'll be a good learning experience for them." Noyumi told him.

"If they survive. Especially the girls."

"Is there anything you can inform us on that Hokage-sama hasn't already?" Hanabi asked, hoping to get them back on track.

"We have gained a witness to one of the kidnappings." Takuma told them. "They're being watched in the town it happened in awaiting for you to interview them. We have not brought them to Hoshi under the grounds that they may be a spy acting as a witness."

"So is that why you have yet to interview them yourselves?" Kakashi asked.

Noyumi nodded. "Yes. We find it a bit odd that this time there was a witness. We suspect this is a trap, so we decided to wait until you came here to assist us if it turns out to be a justified suspicion."

"And if it turns out this person is just an honest witness?" Sayo asked.

"Then some of you can help us find the culprit?"

"Some of us?" All the Konoha nin asked.

Takuma nodded. "With all due respect, the kidnappings have only targeted young girls between the ages of 12 and 19. From what I can see, your group has three girls of such ages. It would be wise to not get them involved."

"Maybe, but how many abductees were ninja?" Hanabi asked.

"From our count, just one." Takuma answered.

"Are there any similarities between the victims besides their age range?" Gai asked.

"None that we can see, and we've tried our damnedest to see a pattern." Takuma stated.

Noyumi nodded. "We've checked everything. Hair color, eye color, what they like to eat, what they were, you name it. There's nothing to connect them all together."

"Is it possible there is no pattern?" Tatsu asked.

"For now that's what we are considering, that these victims just happen to be selected out of chance and nothing else. But we still find it weird that only those in their teenage years are targeted. So we haven't ruled out an unforeseen common factor just yet." Noyumi told him.

Kakashi nodded. "Can you take us to this witness?"

"Certainly. They're in a town an hour away from here so let's get going." Noyumi replied.

"Is there-?" Akane started.

"No ramen until the mission's over Akane!" Hanabi cut her off.

* * *

The walk to Hazaka town did take them about an hour, and they were led to a hotel right away. "We kept them here so that anyone trying to take them away would hopefully expose themselves first." Takuma said before opening the door to the room they stopped in front of.

Inside the room everything was decorated as one would expect. There was a single bed against the left side and a tv on the right side atop a credenza. A nightstand was by the bed with a lamp on it and a small shelf to place things on, and in the center of the room was a low table to eat on. Beside the tv was a close door, presumablty to the washroom.

Seated at the table drinking something and eating a fish was a young woman around sixteen years old. She had long silky black hair that was long enough she could probably sit on it, and had a kind of face that immediately made one think of her as harmless. Her eyes were soft red, almost pink, and her eyelashes were long and fluttery. She was wearing a white dress with pink hem and on her right wrist there was a silver bracelet.

"Excuse me, who are you?" She asked in a quiet voice, sounding like she was afraid to speak.

"We are ninja from Hoshi and Konoha." Noyumi answered kindly as everyone entered the room. They tried not to surround her in an effort to make her feel less uncomfortable. "We're here to talk about what you saw a few nights ago."

The girl sighed. "Okay then. My name is Minako Sobatami. I'm just a baker here, nothing special about me. But a few nights ago-"

"Can you be specific on how many nights?" Gai asked.

"I'd say it was the fifth day of last week so three nights ago." Minako answered. "I had just gotten done with my shift, I work the closing shift at the shop by the way, and I was walking home. I was taking my normal route, but I heard some glass breaking a couple of blocks away from the bakery. I wasn't counting so I'm not sure where exactly I was at that moment. I could tell you if I was there though."

"When I heard the glass breaking, I momentarily froze. It was pure instinct, and I couldn't help but look at where I heard the sound come from. There was an alley between two buildings, and I saw something on the other side of both. There were three men, or at least I think they were men. I heard two male voices for sure. Two of them were together and dressed in black, hard to see but I know there were two of them close together with some sort of sack being held by both of them. The third man was a local night patrol officer, trying to stop them I presume. He was moving slow so I think he was injured."

"Can you recall anything said by any of them?" Kakashi asked.

Minako thought it over. "It was mostly muffled or whispered, but I'm positive I heard something like 'Hurry up you know she hates to wait' and I know I heard 'Doesn't she have enough?' because that part was louder. After that the patrolman showed up and I was more focused on staying unnoticed to hear anything else. I ended up walking away as quietly as possible, and it must have worked because I wasn't bothered the rest of the night. The next morning I came to the local police the next morning and told them what I saw, and next thing I know I'm practically quarantined."

Kakashi and Hanabi both looked at Tatsu and Akane. The redhead replied first. "She smells honest. No perspiring, no increased heartbeat or nervous twitches. I'd say she's an honest witness."

Tatsu nodded as he held up a beetle on his finger, a beetle that had sneaked onto Minako when she was looking elsewhere and now had returned to him. "My insect confirms this."

Minako looked confused. "You thought I was lying?"

"We just needed to make sure you weren't before we did anything. Faulty intel can severely harm us on any mission." Takuma told her.

"We better go check out the location for more clues." Hanabi stated, making the other ninja nod. "Can you show us the scene of the crime?"

* * *

Ten minutes later, everyone was outside the bakery where Minajo worked. It was a white building with a teal tiled roof right between a yakisoba stand and a pachinko hall. "My shift ended at 9:00 as usual, and it took me eight minutes to close the till and put away the supplies and equipment. I locked up and started walking this way home." The young girl explained before walking east, the shinobi following her.

"I turn here." Minako said, changing her direction towards north after walking two blocks. "It was a quiet night, which isn't that unusual when I walk home. So it was easy for me to hear glass breaking." She came to a stop three blocks away from where she turned, stopping by a gap between two tall brick building. "I was right here when I heard the noise, and it came from the other side of these two buildings. I hid on this side."

The ninja looked down the alley. At the moment there was nothing specific standing out. "It looks like it's been cleaned up." Gai noted.

Noyumi nodded. "Likely done by the locals to avoid causing a commotion."

"Byakugan." Hanabi said, activating her doujutsu. "I see no traces of anything unusual left behind." She told everyone after a quick look.

"We should check out the crime scene." Takuma stated. "Fortunately I've already acquired that info from the police." He turned to Minako. "Thank you for your assistance. You will not be required from this point on."

"Glad to help." She said with a smile.

* * *

The scene of the crime turned out to be a small wooden house that was bordered by yellow tape and a white sign saying 'Keep out'. The most notable feature was a broken window on the side, glass littering the grass outside the house.

"Where are the occupants?" Akane asked.

"According to the report they are currently staying with relatives elsewhere." Takuma answered. "They only have one request, find their daughter as soon as humanly possible."

"Something's not right." Gai said, crossing the yellow tape to get closer. "I see signs of a break-out, but no signs of forced entry. So how did they get in?"

Kakashi joined up beside the green-clad jounin. "Not only that, but why did they have to escape in such a way? Were they caught and forced to fight?"

Hanabi reactivated her byakugan. "The interior shows signs of a struggle and sword cuts on the walls along with small burn marks implying jutsu usage. Someone here _was_ caught and forced to fight."

Akane approached the window and started sniffing. "I noticed bear tracks in the grass leading to and from the window, and I can still smell some bear by it."

The other genin started looking over the area. When Akane left the window, Sayo came up to it and looked inside. "Hey Kakshi-sensei, shards of glass on the outside mean that the window was broken from the inside right?"

The silver-haired jounin nodded. "Yes, that is correct Sayo."

The dark-eyed brunette turned towards him. "But in a normal case, shouldn't there be at least a few shards inside? Because I don't see a single sliver of glass on the inside."

Kakashi perked up and went to his student to confirm her observation. "You're right. The inside is completely clean. Even the carpet looks undisturbed."

Ichi overheard this. "So maybe the culprit broke in from here, kidnapped the girl, got involved in a fight, and covered up any evidence before he left. But that sounds so inconvenient. There had to be help. Someone fought here while someone else tried to hide their tracks, and had a bear with them." He stopped to think it over. "Still doesn't make sense."

Hanabi nodded. "True. There are too many unknown variables."

"But we do have a good lead to get more." Gai told everyone, drawing their attention. "We know they were here and what time they struck. And thanks to Minako-san, we know what general direction they were headed and, once we take into account how long it took them to get where she saw them, we can figure out how fast these kidnappers were moving. That should help us determine where they might have reached by now."

"True, but we still have no way to identify what we're looking for." Masa pointed out.

"That's where you're wrong." Noyumi said, appearing out of nowhere. Behind her were two people, a man and a woman in their early thirties dressed casually, although the man had his right arm in a sling. "These two are the owners of the house and the parents of the kidnapped girl."

"Please bring our Akemi back." The mother pleaded.

"We will, but first we need something to track her with. Got any clues or maybe something with her scent on it?" Kakashi asked.

"There's her clothes. Will that work?" The father asked.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, quite well."

The parents provided the Konoha and Hoshi nin a purple shirt their daughter wore. Kakshi started doing a set of hand signs, but Akane shook her head. "Don't waster your chakra summoning dogs Kakashi-sensei. Tatsu-kun and I will be enough." she sniffed the garment then handed it to her friend who had his insects sample the scent too.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. 'I think that's the first time she's referred to me by name. But I suppose she's right.'

"Did you get a look at the intruders?" Gai asked.

The father stepped forward. "I saw a man about my age wearing old-fashioned black ninja attire with a sword and an armored rain-hat. On his face there was a thin scar right above his right eyebrow. That's all I saw before he almost cut my arm off." He gingerly touched his injured appendage when he finished. "But judging from the noises I heard, there was someone else here too actually taking my daughter. I suspect the guy I saw was simply a look-out."

The ninja nodded, but only the jounin looked like this made sense to them. 'Hmm... a two man job where one does the actual subduing of the victim while the other stands guard inside the house to keep other residents from interfering, and it's likely the bear is a summons to keep outside forces from interfering as well. Effective but overkill for taking a young girl. What's their motive for going to this extent? Or for doing this crime in the first place?'

"Can you find our daughter?" The mother asked.

Akane smiled. "Don't worry, we're on it, and I promise you we will. and I never go back on my word."

The mother smiled. "Thank you."

'If it will help me get ramen sooner, I'll finish this before sunset if I have to.' Akane added.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Searching For Answers In The Middle Of Nowhere

"Anything suspicious?" Kakashi asked the trackers in the group. Hanabi had her byakugan scanning the area, Tatsu was waiting for his insects to return to him, and Akane was sniffing the area.

Right now they were half a dozen kilometers away from Hazaka town in a coniferous forest, going where they were certain the kidnappers had been heading. Hanabi had been able to catch telltale signs of recent human activity in the direction they were taking, and Akane could smell the lingering scent of the last girl taken away.

"The scent stops here. It just... fades away I think is the best way to put it." Akane replied, sniffing the ground like an animal for maximum effect.

"My eyes don't see anything man-made except for some kind of monument northwest of here by a traveler's path. But I don't see anything suspicious on, near, or under it." Hanabi added.

"Until my insects return, I don't have an answer." Tatsu stated.

"A cold trail. Not a good sign." Takuma said mostly to himself.

"They've got to be nearby. If the scent simply fades away without being covered up by something else, it means wherever they took the young girl cannot be too far away." Gai claimed.

"I wouldn't say that, because I see no place for anyone to hide." Hanabi told him.

"So the kidnappers for all basic purposes simply disappeared into thin air?" Sayo asked.

Noyumi shook her head. "No, but they want us to think that."

Tatsu's insects returned to him, and everyone waited silently for him to hear what they found. "My swarm tells me that there are human scents in the area along with chakra trails, which remind me of times I've dealt with Akane-chan's clones."

Akane perked up. "Wait, are you saying we've been following a decoy trail?"

"It's a possibility." The young Aburame told her, making Akane groan.

"True, but we shouldn't be so quick to accept that as the answer." Kakashi said. "The girl's scent came this way, and it's unlikely they could have made a clone of her that smelled like her without leaving some sort of physical evidence, such as a scrap of cloth or some hair."

Gai nodded. "Good point. Also I see no evidence to suggest any clones were here in the first place. A dispelled clone always leaves some kind of evidence. Earth clones leave rubble, and water clones leave puddles which even after they dry leave a noticeable pattern in the soil. Even shadow clones would leave some foot prints."

"So we're either dealing with clones that cover up their tracks well, or authentic people who hide even better?" Ichi asked. "These guys are good."

"They're smart, but they certainly aren't good." Masa commented.

Kakashi looked at everyone. "It's getting late. Why don't we stop for a moment to take a break and have something to eat before we resume searching? I'll summon some dogs to keep looking the area over for the meantime."

"Probably not a bad idea." Takuma stated.

Kakashi summoned Pakkun and five of his best tracking dogs, who sniffed a piece of cloth from the recently kidnapped young girl they were trying to locate, then took off. Once that was done, everyone felt like relaxing for a short while. Right away Gai got started preparing the food, unsealing the supplies for making dinner.

"You cook?" Akane asked, having never heard anyone say he did.

"Of course. I live on my own and can't rely on restaurants for all my meals. Plus... it helped with team bonding for me and... my students to work together in making our dinners." He looked ready to cry at remembering the students who had died not too long ago.

'As weird as this guy is, seeing him like this is even worse.' Akane told herself, then walked up to the green-clad jounin. "In that case, what can I do to help out?" Gai and several others looked at her, showing they hadn't expected her to ask that.

"I'm not in the mood for ramen Slacker." Sayo stated offhandedly.

Akane frowned at the pig-tailed young girl. "I can make other stuff flat-chest."

"Girls, enough with the insults." Kakashi told them both, making them both settle down.

Gai handed Akane some potatoes and a peeler, and she got to work right away. Gai himself got to work cutting some pieces of meat into chunks. "If you don't mind me asking Akane, why do you and Sayo not like each other that much?" Gai asked seriously yet curiously.

The two aforementioned girls shared a brief look before staring back at the usually enthusiastic jounin. Their combined peripheral vision showed the others were watching them, interested in hearing this. Akane sighed and kept peeling the potatoes as she spoke. "My only problem with her is she has a problem with me."

Sayo lightly frowned. "My problem with you is you never take anything seriously yet everything comes easy to you."

Akane jerked her head towards her semi-rival. "Easy to me? Sayo-san, you have _no_ idea what I have to do."

The brown-haired girl scoffed. "Yeah, it must be _so_ taxing to play around town all the time and have several jounin hand you techniques because Daddy asked them to."

Noyumi leaned closer to Hanabi. "Do those two hate each other or something?"

Hanabi shook her head. "I don't think so. I think Sayo's just jealous of Akane-chan and Akane-chan gets upset Sayo judges her as she does."

Akane closed her eyes briefly then opened them and returned to the task at hand. "Sayo-san, what you see is simply when I'm relaxing. There's no way you'd call me a slacker if you saw me when I _wasn't_ relaxing. As for the jounin, yes my father asks them for help, but they don't go easy on me because of it."

"How hard can it be if you could be Rookie of the Year and still have time to relax?" Sayo demanded, sounding harsher than she meant to. "I have to work my ass off just to be second best compared to you, so how can you sit there and tell me you have it rough?"

Gai frowned and spoke before Akane could. "Girls, that's enough. Whatever issues you've got, save it for when you're back home. Like it or not, you're on a mission together now so forget your problems and cooperate."

Those that knew Gai felt this little outburst of his was very out of character for him. They would have expected him to say something more along the lines of "You should work together to brighten your flames of youth and become good friends" or something like that. Gai telling both girls to basically shut up spoke volumes of his unhappy mood.

'Naruto must be right, Gai's still taking the lose of his latest students pretty hard.' Kakashi thought. Wanting to defuse the discomfort, he spoke up. "After we eat, I'm going to take a look around with my dogs, and it would help if we spread out to cover more ground. Hanabi, Takuma-san, Noyumi-san, you three and me can go out in a compass pattern to check again for any leads and contact us if something's found. And while we're doing that, Gai and the genin can stay here to get some more training put in and work off what they ate."

"Not a bad idea." Hanabi said, sensing his hidden intentions here.

No one objected, even if they didn't understand the set up.

* * *

After dinner was finished, Kakashi, Hanabi, Takuma, and Noyumi went out in the four compass directions to keep looking for any leads on where to go next. Hanabi was the only one who insisted on her direction, wanting to go north to get a closer look at something she saw with her byakugan earlier.

This left Gai with six genin waiting to hear what he wanted from them. They stood before him, and he noticed how they all stood, with told him a lot about what they were feeling. Noburo looked the most comfortable, since he had the most experience with Gai and knew what to expect. Akane was reserved yet uncertain, like she had no clue what he was going to do. Ichi just looked attentive, much like Sayo and Masa. Tatsu looked like a normal Aburame but a bit more casual.

"Alright everyone, since we shouldn't leave this area, let's work on some simple exercises to keep you in shape. A healthy body is essential for growing ninja like yourself. To start off, try a hundred jumping jacks."

It was still more than any of the genin had ever done consecutively, but at least the hundred wasn't four digits like they heard he had a passion for setting as a goal. Without objections, they got started. Gai could easily see that Akane and Sayo could move the fastest while Ichi and Tatsu moved the slowest here.

'If they work hard enough, they could be ready for the chuunin exams in no time. Just like... my students would have been.' Gai told himself, resisting the urge to cry.

Akane could smell the salt of his suppressed tears. 'Weird, I always hoped that this guy would stop being so disturbing some day, and now I wish he would be normal again.'

* * *

Hanabi reached her destination in no time. 'Maybe I'm wasting my time, but my gut tells me there's something about this monument.'

The monument in question at first appeared to be nothing worth prioritizing. It was a white stone statue of a man standing up to an angry armored oni, with a large black stone as the base. The man looked like some kind of hermit and could have passed for a short-haired Jiraiya in his prime. On the base was a plaque with an inscription that read 'In honor of Master Hideyoshi Kujaku, Sage of the Celestial Mountains and Defender of Hoshigakure'.

'Now why would this monument be all the way out here instead of actually in Hoshi? For that matter, why isn't it in _any_ town where it could be seen? Whoever created this did a good job so you'd think they'd want it to be noticed and appreciated.'

"Enjoying the statue are we?" A new voice asked, causing Hanabi to look towards her left out of surprise. She saw what looked like a man in his fifties, maybe sixties, with grey hair and a mustache walking with a cane and carrying a green knapsack on his back.

"You're a long way from civilization sir." Hanabi replied, trying to be polite but also on her guard.

"So are you. Are you a traveler or an errand-runner of some sort?"

"You could say that." The Hyuuga heiress answered, turning away from him.

"It is a nice monument, isn't it?" The old man asked, pausing for a moment to look at the statue. "I walk this way all the time and pass by it each time. It always lets me know I'm halfway to where I'm going to go. And I like remembering the story behind it."

"What story may that be?" Hanabi asked.

"From what I heard, the guy this statue is dedicated to was one of the best ninja to come from the hidden village of Hoshi. He saw supposed to be the one who found the famous fallen star and created a jutsu with it that helped the village rise to power. He was nominated to be the first real leader they would call the Hoshikage, but before he could accept it, he had to leave the village. The next time he was seen, he was dead, but he died to ensure Hoshi didn't have to."

"But then why is it out here where no one can see it?"

The old man smiled. "Because this spot was his last stand. What better place to place a tribute to him? From what I heard, Hoshi has a second tribute to him in their village somewhere, but I've never seen the place so I can't say for certain."

"The oni is an odd touch." Hanabi commented.

"Indeed it is." The old man agreed. "I guess that was an artistic choice of the sculptor."

"You said you see this all the time. Why would you be out here so much? Shouldn't someone your age be at home most of the time?" Hanabi asked, trying not to sound suspecting.

"I could, but I get bored too easily. Plus you're only as old as you feel, and I ain't dead yet." The old man said before turning towards Hanabi. "A young girl like yourself probably has plenty of energy to spare. Too bad you can't loan an old person like myself some." He lightly chuckled.

"You don't need my energy old man. You're only as old as you feel remember?" Hanabi said back. "Before you go, could you tell me something?"

"If I can."

"Do you know anything about young girls being kidnapped from their homes?"

The old man stroked his chin with his free hand, looking like he was trying to recall something specific. "No, nothing at all. But I barely pay attention to the news anyway. Too depressing."

"And how long have you been walking?"

"A few hours. At my age being out too long isn't a great idea." He answered with a smile. The smile vanished once Hanabi threw a shuriken at his cane, which bounced off right away. "What was that for?"

"Drop the act. Did you really think I would fall for it?" Hanabi told him, her eyes visible to him again and her byakugan active. "A kind elderly person out for a stroll? One of the oldest henge tricks in the book."

The old man smirked then was covered in smoke, replaced with a young man about ten years older than Hanabi with brown hair, no facial hair, a brown cloak covering his body like a shroud, and a sheathed sword instead of a cane. "You're better than I thought Pretty Eyes. Too bad you're not the type my boss needs."

Hanabi got into her Gentle Fist stance. "So you do work for the kidnappers. I don't suppose you'll tell me what the purpose for it all is."

"Nope, not a chance. It's a shame, you're on the old end of the right age range, just not right in the other department." The threat replied, unsheathing his sword. "I suppose I might be able to keep you for myself. She owes me that much."

Unintimidated, Hanabi rushed forward and attacked. "Two palms! Four palms! Eight palms! Sixteen palms! Thirty-two palms! Sixty-four palms!"

The enemy fell over backwards, twitching like he was having a stroke and close to drooling like it too.

Hanabi sighed and brushed her hands on her pant legs. "What a waste. You must be too used to sneaking up on people to actually fight someone aware you're there. But at least you've got information I could use." She reached for her radio headset. "Hanabi reporting. I caught someone involved. I'm bringing them back to base for questioning."

She then picked the downed guy up and headed back to where her students were.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Finding The Hide-Out And Beginning The Rescue

Hanabi brought her captive to the campsite. "Can someone tie this guy up?" She asked, interrupting the genin's current exercise regime of a hundred sit ups.

"Who is he Obasan?" Akane asked.

"Someone who may have information on the kidnappers." Hanabi asnswered.

Noburo quickly took out his sealing scroll and unsealed a large amount of pre-cut hair. "Ninja Art: Follicle Constriction Jutsu." The strands moved to wrap around the subdued man multiple times until he was effectively tied up. "It's not perfect, but this should hold him for the time being."

"Good enough for me." Hanabi said as Kakashi, Takuma, and Noyumi returned. "I found this guy in the north direction. I was curious about an out-of-place statue and wanted a closer inspection. Apparently I was wrong, it was just an ordinary statue, but this guy tried to sneak up on me. He did a bad job of it, but I'm certain he's connected to the kidnappings."

"How so?" Noyumi asked.

"He said I was in the right age range, just like you and Takuma-san told us earlier. But he also said I wasn't the 'type' his boss needs, so that means all the victims do have a common trait we're unaware of."

"Let's interrogate him then." Takuma stated.

Hanabi nodded and hit some tenketsu to give the captive the ability to speak again. "If you don't want to become a cripple for the rest of your miserable life, you'll tell us who you work for."

The captive scoffed and looked away. "Like I'm really going to be better off if I do answer."

"Hard to say. All we can promise is we'll be a lot more lenient if you do cooperate." Kakashi stated.

"Like that means anything to me." The captive commented.

Gai looked like he was out of patience and grabbed the captive's collar, pulling him up. "Look you jerk, I don't care whether you like your situation or not, but one way or another we're getting what we want out of you. If you know what's good for you, you're choose the painless option."

Akane sweatdropped. 'Whoa, where did that come from?'

Noburo sensed her shock and leaned closer to whisper to her. "Remember Akane-chan, Gai-sensei is a jounin. Not a tokubetsu jounin, but a full-fledged jounin. He didn't get that rank by being good only in taijutsu. When he needs to be, he's strong in other areas including information acquiring."

Akane could only nod. 'I just hope he doesn't beat the guy senseless before we get anything.'

The captive just smirked condescendingly. "Not interested."

Gai looked like he wanted to punch this guy's teeth out, but he settled for dropping him ceremoniously onto the ground. "Don't think I'm going to go easy on you. My student's died because of whoever you're following. If we didn't need your information, I'd crush your spine."

Kakashi saw the genin's surprise at Gai's behavior. 'That's right, they've only seen and heard about his good mood attitude. Nonoe of them have seen Gai when he's angry. It's not a pretty sight.' He stepped forward. "I'll take it from here Gai. I can get what we need out of him."

"I doubt it." The captive smugly claimed.

Kakashi knelt down and revealed his sharingan. Akane had to look away or else she might interfere with this. Kakashi's tomoes spun around as he drew their prisoner into a trance. "You have information we want. Information on where to find the mastermind of the recent kidnappings and where the victims are being kept. You want to tell us this so you don't suffer more than necessary."

It worked like a charm. The captive gave up his secrets. "My name is Daisuke Nakamura and I'm a sensor/ambusher for Riza Batsumori-sama. My job is to find if any potential targets have the right characteristic and if they do then subdue them and bring them back alive. The guards noticed your group was right above us so they-"

"Wait, we're right above your hide-out?" Takuma asked.

The now-named Daisuke nodded automatically. "Yes, we hide underground using earth jutsus to get in and out and bring our captives there. When we have them we bring them to the holding room where Batsumori-sama makes use of them so we all can improve our lives. She feels bad for them but this is the only way to discover what she's searching for and if she succeeds my sister can live longer."

"Go to sleep for now." Kakashi ordered, and the captive complied. Kakashi covered his sharingan. "Ok, that helps us out a little. Now we've got a name and a place to look."

"If we're right above them, then why didn't you notice them with your eyes Hanabi-san?" Noyumi asked.

Hanabi sighed. "One of the weaknesses of my eyes is that we don't see that far underground. Most people assume the byakugan's range is a bubble that allows us to see in all directions, even below. The truth is, our range is more of a dome shape, so we don't see that far below us compared to other directions. I can actually only see five meters underground. They must be deeper."

"But wouldn't you at least be able to see a tunnel or something?" Noyumi added.

"They wouldn't need a tunnel if they use earth jutsus to move underground." Kakashi stated.

"Like the Hidden in the Earth Jutsu." Gai added.

Akane nodded. "Yeah, that one would work perfectly."

"So we know where to go and that the captives are still alive. What we don't know is why this is going on in the first place." Takuma said.

Kakashi nodded. "True. I could get more out of him but for the sake of my chakra I think it would be wiser to go check for ourselves and see if we can get any of the captives freed."

"Wouldn't it be wiser to get more information before making any attempt to rescue the captives?" Noyumi asked.

"True, but if we're going to do anything, it would be wiser if I'm not drained of chakra beforehand." Kakashi told her.

"Ok, but how are we getting there?" Takuma asked. "Do any of you know the Hidden in the Earth Jutsu?"

"We do." Gai and Akane said together.

Kakashi was surprised. "Wait, Gai I understand because he has an earth affinity but that's a requirement for this jutsu to work. That's the only reason I was never able to copy it. But how can you know it Akane? Do you have an earth affinity?"

"Yes." Akane plainly answered. 'I can't tell them I have an affinity for every element yet. That would just cause trouble.'

"Ok, with these two we can get down to the base and then scout the place out for the missing girls. We've got to move stealthfully for the best results but if they've got sensors we've have to be prepared for battle. So while Gai-san and Akane-chan work at getting the girls back to the surface, we'll fight anybody trying to interfere. Does that sound good?" Hanabi told everyone.

"One flaw, someone will have to stay on the surface to keep an eye out for trouble especially when we're getting the girls out. Not to mention we don't know how many girls are still alive." Takuma replied.

"Actually, there's another problem." Gai pointed out. "I can take two people with me, but I can't do it repeatedly. Three, maybe four times."

"Luckily I don't have a limit on times, but I can only take one at a time with me." Akane added, then grinned. "Luckily my clones can make up the difference, so go ahead and save your chakra Gai-sensei."

"Great. And if we handle the rescue the same way then we won't need to worry about leaving someone on the surface after all. Though someone will have to go with Akane-chan to the surface at the time to get them away from here." Hanabi said.

"Wouldn't it be a good idea for Akane-san to go down ahead of us to confirm the location of the base and whether or not it's being guarded?" Masa asked.

Akane nodded. "Good idea." She created a clone. "You know what to do." The clone nodded and created the ox hand sign. "Earth Style Hidden in the Earth Jutsu." The clone sank into the ground as if it were water, making sure to take a deep breath beforehand.

A minute went by before Akane spoke up. "There's an open room about twenty seconds under here. There are a few boxes but there aren't any people in it. There's a light on and a closed door, so I think whoever's down there won't be gone for long. So let's get down there now." Akane created enough shadow clones to carry everyone in their group down underground.

"Wait. What do we do about him?" Sayo asked, pointed to the still-sleeping prisoner.

"He should stay asleep for now, but Hanabi better seal off his chakra just in case." Kakashi stated, to which the Hyuuga heiress nodded and did as suggested. "Okay, Akane and clones, get us down there."

All Akane's nodded and grabbed ahold of someone else, leaving the original Akane alone. "Take a deep breath. You can't breathe in the ground after all." All performed the Hidden in the Earth Jutsu and sank into the ground. About twenty seconds of traveling down, they slwoly emerged thru a solid stone wall and landed carefully on the floor of an empty room.

"Akane-chan, can you transform into a likeness of the prisoner and open the door so if there's someone on the other side they won't immediately attack?" Hanabi whispered.

Akane nodded and transformed to the closest likeness of Daisuke Nakamura she could. She walked up to the door trying to look casual and was glad to find it unlocked. She opened the door and carefully looked outside, trying to look as if she wasn't afraid of being caught. Then she looked back. "It's clear. There's a hallway that goes left and right from here, but I can't smell anything too particular from either direction so I don't know where to go."

"Byakugan." Hanabi said, activating her doujutsu. "Good, I can see the base now that we're on the same level as it. Next to us are several rooms like this containing various supplies, and I suspect they act to give any earth-moving ninja a place to enter and exit from. I think I see a few thin airshafts near the largest room, which looks like some sort of meeting hall if I had to call it anything. The hallways create a simple square formation. O our side are the storage rooms, on the right side appear to be bunk rooms. On the left appears to be..." She paused, looking surprised.

"What is it?" Gai asked.

"I see two rooms on the left side of the square, in them are to my count eleven girls, all within the known age range of the kidnap victims. The doors are locked tight so I'm certain they're being held prisoner. And I think I see one of them with a Konoha hitai-ate."

Everyone was surprised to hear that, but none moreso than Gai. "Seriously? What does she look like?"

"I'd say young, thirteen or so, in a faded red shirt and dark brown shorts, and with black hair and green eyes."

Gai almost lost his balance. "I... I can't believe it. She's alive?"

"One of your students?" Noburo asked, but Gai didn't answer.

"She doesn't look too healthy, but she's alive and hooked up to an IV and lying in a bed. Nobody's trying to hurt her though, probably because they're chained to a wall. They don't look too healthy either. Now, the other room looks similar but only has-what the...?" Hanabi continued, holding everyone's attention. "The second prison room has only one occupant, but this one's a boy."

"A boy?" Everyone asked.

"There've been no reports of any boys being abducted. What could this mean?" Takuma asked.

"I don't know, but we've got to find out. Other than that, nothing else looks notable, except for this one room by the large room. It looks like some sort of medical room, but all I see in it are samples of preserved blood." Hanabi concluded.

"Blood?" Noyumi asked. "Do you mean that whoever's behind this has been stealing blood from their victims?"

Takuma nodded. "It's possible. That could in fact be the common factor we never saw. Maybe they all share a blood type."

"I don't think it's that simple." Hanabi commented. "The man I faced could sense something about me he considered wrong for their purposes. No sensor as far as I know can actually detect a person's blood type without actually drawing blood."

"Maybe this one could." Takuma countered.

"Whatever the means, I think it's safe to say they're using the blood for something and to effectively end this mission we need to find out what." Kakashi said. "Hanabi, where is that room again?"

"If you leave this room and turn two corners, you'd find a set of doors to the large room. On the opposite side, you'd find two rooms. The one on the left looks like a bunk room but it's fancier than the others and is currently occupied by a sleeping young woman. The one on the right leads to the blood room."

"Ok, my team and I will head to check that out. Your team and Gai should go help get the victims out of here. Takuma-san, Noyumi-san, it might help if you came with me." Kakashi told everyone.

The others could see this arrangement would work out greatly. Akane would be transporting the kidnapped girls while Gai checked to see if one of his students was still alive and Hanabi, Noburo, and Ichi provided cover for them, and at the same time the others would check out a place with more unknown variables. In theory it would work.

"Let's go, and move quietly." Gai said, eager to get moving.

"Wait, one question." Sayo added. "How are we supposed to get out of here?"

"I'll come back for you guys when I'm done with the victims." Akane, back in her true form stated. "In any case, keep an eye out for emergency exits. Earth jutsus can't possibly be the only way out of this place."

With that settled, the group of Konoha and Hoshi nin quietly and carefully left the room and went down the left hall towards their objectives.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Suspicious Elements Are Everywhere

"Ok, the captives are here." Hanabi said as they stopped in front of a door. "Your door is around the next corner. Remember, go to the door on the far side of the room on the right side."

Kakashi nodded. "Got it. Good luck." He, his students, and the Hoshi nin took off.

"Aren't you going to open the door?" Ichi asked.

Hanabi didn't move. "Yes, but not until I see for certain there aren't any mechanisms here to alert anyone of unauthorized entry."

Ichi paled. "Oh, good idea." He replied, remembering his old cell when he was being held away from Konoha. Every time he tried to escape, the door would get covered in bright fire. Even when someone from the outside tried to get in, until Dansue destroyed that feature. This was part of the reason Ichi was once afraid of anything that shined except his sister. To him, a light source meant only pain, until he received professional help and was able to overcome his phobia.

Hanaib's byakugan scanned the immediate area intently, and to her relief she saw no hidden traps or seal, not even a lock. 'Since the captives are in chains and the base is underground they must not see much reason to tighten security for them. Makes sense, I mean if someone did escape their chains where exactly are they going to go?'

Hanabi then deactivated her doujutsu. "Okay team, we're going in. but be quite and careful, and on the look-out." She whispered to her genin who nodded. She quietly opened the door, hoping not to alert any of the girls and thus have attention drawn to the room.

Most of the girls looked to be sound asleep, or maybe a more accurate description was passed out. All but one of the prisoners were held to the walls by chains, most of them restrained by their wrists and held close to the wall, leaving little room for movement or fighting back against anyone. The one unchained girl was strapped to a mattress with a heart monitor quietly going off, showing a steady heartbeat, and an IV attached to her arm.

"How do we get them loose?" Akane asked.

"Allow me." Noburo said before taking off his hitai-ate. His hair grew out and soon he was able to use it like an arm. Using it, he picked the locks with his hair one by one.

"Good. Ichi, keep watch by the door for anyone approaching. Akane-chan, start taking them up to the surface, and leave some clones there to keep guard over them." Hanabi ordered. Ichi and Akane nodded, taking their positions. When the first girl was freed of her restraints, Akane held her and performed the Hidden in the Earth jutsu to go thru the ground.

Gai immediately looked over the girl with medical care. Once he saw her, he teared up. "I can't believe it. It is her."

"One of your students?" Hanabi asked. "But how? The report I heard said-"

"We never found her body. She fell into the poison canyon around Hoshi and by the time I could do anything, it was too late for her to come back up. I didn't have any proper equipment to go confirm her death, so she was declared KIA and MIA." Gai interjected, holding in a sob. "To think she survived, it's a miracle."

Hanabi didn't look as certain. 'I wonder why she's the only one here who's receiving this kind of treatment. Is there something special about her? Not to mention...' She gasped when she realized something. "I'm going to go check on the other prisoner in the other room. Gai-san, see if you can get her ready to move without endangering her. Noburo, Ichi, keep doing what you're doing."

The genin nodded as she left the room. 'She sure is a natural leader.' Noburo thought as Akane came back ready to move another freed captive.

* * *

Kakashi, his genin, and the two Hoshi nin easily found their destination. The door to the room however was tightly locked up, until Tatsu's insects got involved and unlocked it from within. It opened silently, revealing the room filled with shelves of stored blood.

Kakshi immediately noticed that the samples were not labeled, nor did they seem to be arranged in any specific way. It was like keeping them in order was pointless. "Any ideas why this is here?"

"Didn't the rouge sannin collect blood for experiments?" Sayo asked. "Are they doing that same thing here?"

"That could explain why they keep hostages." Masa stated.

"Maybe, but we better check for evidence first." Takuma told everyone.

Kakashi and Masa looked over one shelf for any details on the vials, Sayo checked another while picking up some of them for closer looks, Tatsu stood watch by the door with his beetles providing a further range to keep watch order, and Takuma and Noyumi looked by the third shelf.

"Weird. There are no files, no documents, no signs, nothing to give any clues to what's going on." Noyumi commented.

"Obviously everyone here knows exactly what's going on so they have no need for a paper trail." Takuma said.

"It's also obvious that they plan to use this blood for something. Do you think they're going to give it to themselves?" Sayo asked, only her back seen to everyone.

"It's very likely Sayo. Even if we're wrong, we know they need this blood, so if you're thinking what I think you are, I completely approve." Kakashi suggested.

"Thanks Sensei." Sayo replied, her front still unseen.

"What are you talking about?" Noyumi asked.

"Can't say." Sayo responded, putting a vial back in place before reaching for another one at random. Right then the Hoshi kunoichi could see a kunai in the pigtailed girl's left hand and some blood on her left thumb.

* * *

Hanabi had a harder time opening this door since this one was locked. That made her even more suspicious then before, but as a jounin she knew how to pick a few locks. She heard no alarms, but was still on her guard.

In the room there was a single young boy, close to her students ages, maybe one year younger at most. He wasn't chained up, but he was slumped against the wall curled up asleep. He was dark-haired wearing a faded red shirt with dull gray shorts and no shoes, his arms hiding his eyes and face from view.

Hanabi cautiously approached him, and knelt down to gently shake him. "Hey, you okay?" She whispered.

It looked like the young boy was a light sleeper or used to being jostled up at night, since he slowly lifted his head up and blinked several times to focus his eyes. "You're new. Who are you?" He quietly asked.

"I'm someone who wants to know what's going on. How did you get here?"

The boy, still not fully awake, thought it over as best he could. "I'm Gomakashi. I was just out minding my own business when..." He paused to yawn. "When I saw someone gag a young girl and put a bag over her in an alley in the town I was last in. I tried to fight the guy but he knocked me out. Next thing I know, I'm here."

"Are you an orphan?" Hanabi asked, noticing the strange way he mentioned his home.

Gomakashi nodded. "Yeah, I wander from place to place occasionally."

'If that was the case, they'd be likely to just kill him off and be done with it. By now they've got to be aware no one has reported a boy missing, so no one's looking for him. So there has got to be a reason why he's being held here, but what could it be?' Hanabi asked herself. "Gomakashi, would you like to leave here?"

Now the young boy looked awake. "Can that happen? Can you take me back out in the sun and trees again?"

Hanabi nodded. "Yes, I can. Then we can find you a home."

Gomakashi nodded. "Thank you. Though you better be care. That woman Batsumori likes girls like you."

Hanabi briefly froze. "Do you know anything about the ones behind this?"

Gomakashi nodded. "I heard a lot while here. Apparently everyone is working for someone called Batsumori, who's collecting girls here for their blood. I don't know why, but it sounds like she needs it for something, and needs very specific blood for whatever she has in mind. She has people working for her either because she pays them well or is holding their loved ones hostage. The guards here have little more to do than walk around and talk so I hear a lot."

Hanabi grimaced. 'Stealing blood? For what purpose? I better go warn Kakashi-san about this.' She got up and helped the young boy get up too. "Gomakashi-kun, I'm going to go check something out. You go to the next room where my team is helping the girls get out. Wait there until they take you up."

"Where are you going?"

Hanabi smiled. "To see if I'm right about something." She then went down the hall.

* * *

Tatsu heard from his insects that someone was approaching but it wasn't a threat. Carefully hiding just to be sure, he saw Hanabi approach, allowing him to step out. "Is something wrong Hanabi-sensei?"

"There might be Tatsu. Can I speak to your sensei right away?"

The young Aburame nodded and let the Hyuuga heiress pass as he kept alert.

Hanabi easily got next to Kakashi. "Kakashi-san, we need to talk."

The cycloptic jounin nodded, sensing the urgency, and left the room. They whispered to avoid drawing attention to themselves as well as allow them to keep their ears open in case of interlopers.

"I'm positive there's more involved here then we know." Hanabi started."Gai-san's MIA student is here and alive, receiving medical care. But he said she fell into Hoshi's poison-filled canyon. Also the young boy here was a witness to a kidnapping they took with them and apparently he's an orphan so that's why we've gotten no report on a boy being taken."

Kakashi, being a more experienced jounin than Hinata's younger sister, knew exactly what to think. "Hoshi's protective canyon is very toxic. Without a mask, a person would not last more than half a minute. So for her to still be alive means someone was inside the canyon waiting for her, and equipped to survive there. And this boy must have something they want to take or use if they haven't just killed him already."

Hanabi nodded. "My thoughts exactly. Also, the boy overheard a lot of restless guards here talking. It appears one woman is in charge here paying her guards or holding them hostage to perform the hard work, and they take the girls to steal their blood. He doesn't know what, but it's the blood they're after."

Kakashi smiled. "One of my students is already making that difficult for them. But we should find out more. What could they be doing with just blood?"

"I don't know, but we're not going to find out unless-"

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" was called out, stopping the two jounin all of a sudden. They turned to see Tatsu sending a fireball at an approaching stranger.

Hanabi was stunned. "How can he use that? I thought Aburame didn't have the chakra to spare for jutsu."

"Most don't. They spend too much to feed and control their swarms to have a decent amount left to use for anything but the simplest jutsus." Kakashi told her, watching the fight and keeping an eye out for any sign he and Hanabi need to join in. "However, Tatsu here is different. I don't know why, but he possesses more chakra than any Aburame I've ever seen. More than enough to support his swarm and fight with jutsu too. I tried to test it by teaching him the fireball jutsu, which he can do twice a day if he has to."

"Amazing." Hanabi said.

The ambusher must not have had a good defense against fire, for he was knocked out right away, his clothes lightly burning. Tatsu wobbled for a brief moment but looked like he could still go on if not pushed too much.

Kakashi did not look reassured. 'Strange. The guy who attacked Hanabi was not prepared for her to fight back, and this guy was taken down by a genin. Even now no one's making a follow-up move, implying this guy was alone or the others are merely observing us. Someone behind such a highly illegal operation _must_ have something to defend the area besides just a good hiding place. Either they're overconfident they cannot be found, or we're being set up for something by being led to think they have such a weak defense.'

Nonetheless, Kakashi approached his bug-using student with a smile. "Good job Tatsu. I didn't even hear this guy approaching. If you hadn't been here, I would have been at a big disadvantage."

Tatsu nodded in appreciation. "Thanks Kakashi-sensei."

"Better save it for later. Two more are coming this way." Hanabi told them, her byakugan active. 'I want to go help my team, but leaving now would only risk alerting the guards.'

Two men dressed in black jumpsuits wearing masks exactly like Kakashi showed up. Both had brown flat hair but one had blue eyes and the other had green eyes. They both also were armed with katanas that were drawn and held professionally, and they did not look like they liked seeing their comrade on the floor covered in burns.

Kakashi threw a kunai at each of them, both of which were blocked. This was merely a diversion so he could get closer to them. The blue-eyed one was closer so Kakashi landed a solid punch to his jaw, stunning him but not knocking him out or off his feet. The green-eyed one tried to attack Kakashi's blindspot but Hanabi intercepted and attacked his chakra points rapidly. Tatsu sent his insects to assist in taking out the one Kakashi was fighting, resulting in him going down like the one Hanabi was taking care of.

"That settles it. Whoever is here is clearly not kept around to defend the base of operations." Kakashi stated. "The problem is, who or what is?"

"That would be us." A voice called out from behind them.

Hanabi sighed. "I figured as much."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Dangerous Unexpected Enemies

"Is she ready?" Akane asked Gai after he safely unstrapped his kunoichi student and used the removed straps to keep her IV bag close and connected.

"She should be. But I'm going to take her up instead and watch over her and the others. You three go help out the rest." Gai told them. Without waiting for a response, he held his student close to him and moved thru the ground to take her up to the surface.

"Guess we better go see what Hanabi-sensei and the others are doing." Akane commented.

"It can't be much after all. Everything's so quiet." Ichi stated.

* * *

Smoke cleared to reveal Hanabi standing in front of Kakashi and Tatsu, panting. 'I'm glad using the Rotation in front of them deflected the attack.' Their surprise attacker had just used a wide range fire jutsu against them, and Hanabi was the quickest to react.

"What is the meaning of this?" Kakashi demanded, drawing a kunai and taking a stance.

"Nothing personal Kakashi-san, it's just business." Their assaulter, Noyumi, replied.

"I've heard that a lot, but it never truly answers the question he just asked." Hanabi stated.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you were right. Someone does have to defend this place, and that's where I come in." The Hoshi kunoichi answered.

"Is all of Hoshi in on this?" Kakashi asked.

Noyumi scoffed. "Oh please. If they were they'd be here trying to destroy this place and it's important work. My job is to ensure no one like you ever actually finds it, but now that you have, I'll have to kill you and get any of the girls you've returned to the surface back down here."

"How can you support this?" Hanabi almost shouted.

"It's because Hoshi needs this research." Noyumi told them. "We have a small population and a high fatality rate. Our best jutsu killed most who learn or use it, and now the source of it is gone forever. At the rate we're going, our village will disappear in a generation or two, or we'll suffer the same fate as Yuugakure. But if Batsumori-sama can figure out how to make her objective work, we can at least delay our demise until we find a new way to do our jobs better."

Tatsu stepped forward. "I can understand your desire to avoid disaster, but can you really put someone else thru disaster to keep yourself out of it?"

"Nothing is gained without sacrifice kid. You yourself use your bugs to do most of your work so don't you lecture me about letting something else take the kunai for you if it means you can live to see another day." Noyumi angrily replied.

"My insects are a part of me and I a part of them. We suffer and gain together."The young Aburame countered.

"What is your objective? What exactly are you trying to find?" Kakashi asked.

Noyumi gave him a flat look. "This isn't a movie you know, where the good guy asks the bad guy why everything is happening, and the bad guy gets into a monologue. I'm smarter than a cinema cliche."

Kakashi glanced towards the room where the others were, hearing a noise that clearly indicated fighting was going on. 'I better go check on those two.' He tried to run towards the door.

"Oh no you don't. Ninja Art Kujaku Rope." Noyumi said, creating a hand sign none of the Konoha ninja had ever seen before and casting a violet chakra aura that resembled a peacock's tail. From that tail emerged a chakra whip that cut down hard in front of Kakashi, making him stop in his tracks. The attack left a small tear on the linoleum floor.

"How can you know that?" Hanabi asked. "From what I heard, Hoshi lost the ability to teach anyone that technique ten years ago and those that do know it have all died off by now."

"Not all of us." Noyumi replied. From behind her, each feather of her peacock tail turned into a chakra whip and lashed out in all directions but primarily forward. The three Konoha nin had to back up to get out of her range, now unsure how to retaliate.

'I just hope Masa and Sayo can handle their fight.' Kakashi thought.

* * *

Takuma, like Noyumi, had tried attacking the Konoha nin by surprise from behind. Masa however was more aware of his surroundings than Takuma gave him credit for and pulled out one of his swords. The purple-haired genin aimed his attack right for the Hoshi ninja's hands, stopping him from completing his jutsu.

"Masa, what are you doing?" Sayo asked.

"Keeping this guy from killing us." He replied.

"You only delayed me. You haven't stopped me completely." Takuma stated. He stepped back and moved a panel to reveal a button. He pushed it, and right away all the shelves of blood vials were pulled into hidden compartments, keeping them from being potentially damaged in a fight.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sayo asked.

"Sayo, my guess is this guy isn't really on our side." Masa told her, his eyes never leaving the man in front of him.

"We had a feeling someone would show up trying to find this place, especially after Hoshikage-sama sent word for you. Fortunately we intercepted you before you could reach the village so you wouldn't hear more than necessary."

"If eliminating us was the plan you had from the beginning, then why did you wait until now to act?" Masa asked.

"We needed to see if it was possible for someone to find this place. If you couldn't then we were safe, but now that we know others can find this place the ones working here can better prepare themselves." Takuma answered.

"Why are you supporting this practice of kidnapping and stealing blood?" Masa asked, starting to sound angry, something Sayo had never heard in his voice before.

"Do you not fear death? Well I do. I've been too close to death too many times for my sake, and I for one am tired of it. So when I was approached by a woman promising to find a way to cheat death permanently, I was not a tough sale."

Sayo looked pissed. "So you damn girls to hell to settle your fear of death?"

"Hey, I've faced the kind of threats you've only read about while those girls out there think the biggest problem they can have is an empty wallet or bed. I think I've earned piece of mind more than them and I don't care if you disagree." The Hoshi nin irritably argued.

Sayo immediately yet casually walked up to Takuma and-of all things-spit directly into his left eye.

Takuma was confused and bothered but not worried by such an act and rubbed the saliva out of his eye. As he did though, he noticed it started to burn. "AGH! My eye! What the hell did you do you bitch?" After some more rubbing, he found his sight in that eye had blurred away to almost nothing.

"Just the simplest trick the Shichou clan has." Sayo answered with a pleased tone and expression, before spitting in his right eye.

Takuma reacted the same as last time, and soon found himself blind. In desperation, he swung his kunai at where he thought she was, but was blocked by Masa's sword.

"Good job Masa, but my saliva's not going to last for long." Sayo told her teammate.

'I may have a hard time seeing, but these kids apparently don't have it in them to kill me.' Takuma thought. 'The boy's just holding me back and the girl's not making any moves as far as I can tell. What a bunch of wimps.' He then dropped his kunai and formed a strange hand sign. "Ninja Art Kujaku Claws." A violet aura formed around him and turned into a set of arms with four fingers that reached for both genin.

Masa took a step back and pulled out his second sword, meaning he had one in each hand and was using both to cut the chakra arms. The severed hands sort of faded away but the arms regrew new ones, requiring him to keep slashing.

'Masa's ambidextrous?' Sayo asked herself. 'No time for that. I better try one of my better techniques to take this guy down.' She ran to the door to the room and closed it shut, keeping anyone from going in or out, then reached into her supply pouch and pulled out a breathing mask. "Masa catch!" She shouted as she tossed it to her teammate.

His hands were full so Masa had to plant one of his swords into the floor so he could catch her mask. Once it was in his hands he strapped it over his mouth and nose with goggles covering his eyes. Takuma's vision was starting to come back so he slowed down his random attacks, but now he had an idea of where to aim.

Sayo quickly formed three hand signs. "Poison Fog Jutsu." From out of her mouth spewed a dark purple-black cloud that would spread over the entire room.

Takuma saw and heard this jutsu and laughed. "Foolish girl. Anti-poison equipment is a standard for us Hoshi nin." He dropped his kujaku cloak and placed a breathing mask over his face. The only thing that concerned him was that the brown-haired girl wasn't wearing a mask herself, even when the toxic fog filled up the entire room. In fact, Sayo didn't even gag at the gas.

Ignoring that, Takuma cast another jutsu. "Ninja Art Kujaku Claws." This time, multiple arms emerged from his violet cloak and moved with direct aim. Four overwhelmed Masa who couldn't move fast enough to cut them all and two even pinned Sayo against a wall. Both genin had hands around their throats, strangling them. "You two may have impressive surprises, but you're still just novices, naive to the shinobi world you were so eager to join." He stepped up to Sayo. "You're too dangerous to keep alive, but maybe the ones here can use your blood." He pulled out a knife.

"Keep... your disgusting hands-" Sayo tried to say, unable to find an exposed spot on him to target. She was silenced when she felt his knife get driven into her left shoulder. making her scream. Takuma took out a vial and held it to catch some of her dripping blood.

"I wonder if they'll pay me extra for providing kunoichi blood directly. If it's a water element that is." Takuma commented.

'Water element?' Sayo asked herself. 'Was that the common factor in all the victims? They were after girls with water type chakra to take their blood? Why?'

Takuma looked right into her eyes, his mask giving him a somewhat more intimidating look. "I didn't like being blinded by your strange saliva, so how about I blind you in a much more painful way?" Sayo immediately looked worried, which is what he was looking for. "You fear death, don't you? So maybe now you'll understand why I'm doing this. In shinobi life, it's always either you or someone else who dies, and we all instinctively choose ourselves in that. The only difference is I'm not afraid to admit it."

Sayo instantly reaching out with her free hand and ripped the Hoshi nin's mask off his face. The room was still filled with her poison fog, something only Sayo didn't seem bothered by, so he gasped and held his breath before he could inhale any toxic vapors. Putting away the collected blood, he used his kujaku arms to shove Sayo onto the ground where he wrapped his two real arms around her throat, hoping to suffocate her himself, slow enough to see her panic as she died.

Masa struggled to get free but four chakra arms kept him pinned down too. He couldn't even move enough to cut them, and he didn't know any jutsu to enhance his sword skills. 'Kami-sama, someone help us.'

* * *

Back in the other room, Kakashi was keeping Noyumi busy by throwing several jutsu at her, keeping her from targeting anyone else. Hanabi tried to get close too but her kujaku cloak was making it difficult for her to get any direct attacks.

Tatsu refrained from the fight since his insects didn't like the feeling they got from that violet chakra. They could only describe it as unnatural for a person. So he chose to inspect the other door in the room, the one that up until then everyone else had ignored. 'I'm certain there's something here we should know about, if I can just open it.' His swarm was busy trying to find a way to get thru while he tried breaking the lock himself too.

All of a sudden the door unlocked and opened, but Tatsu immediately knew it wasn't because of his efforts. He recalled his swarm and jumped aside before a spear shot out towards where he would have been.

The sound of creaking could be heard from inside, making Tatsu none too eager to check it out, but now he knew what to expect. He looked into the room, which was dark but lit enough to see it was a fancy bedroom, the kind you'd expect to see a noble have. Facing the door was something very out of place, a mounted crossbow big enough to fire a javelin, a scorpion crossbow if Tatsu remembered correctly. It was empty, but a woman was preparing to reload and fire it.

If this wasn't a serious situation, Tatsu might have thought the woman was quite beautiful. Her hair was long enough to reach her ass and was a deep mixture of light brunette and dark blonde, almost looking like it was spun from bronze. Her eyes were difficult to see, but they were bright enough to not be masked by the shadows of the room. She was wearing some sort of royal purple nightgown with royal blue hem on it, giving her a sort of provocative look at the moment. Of course, the fact that she was loading a crossbow kind of took away the appeal she had.

"I don't know who you cretins are, but you've made me mad." She declared, ready to pierce Tatsu with her weapon.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: The Fear of Death

Sayo could feel herself starting to pass out as the Hoshi nin strangled her. He let up one hand on her neck but only to pull out a glass container holding some kind of dark yellow vapor. "This is gas from Hoshi's canyon, a natural vapor that is quite toxic. It's almost like breathing a weak version of cyanide. Have a whiff Spitter." He uncorked it and shoved the opening into Sayo's mouth.

"Sayo!" Masa screamed, struggling to break free of Takuma's Kujaku arms.

Takuma took the vial out of the girl's mouth and grinned. "Any last words?"

Sayo smiled. "Yeah. I eat cyanide for breakfast."

'By now she should be drowning in her own blood from the poison. How is she not?' Takuma asked himself. With his free hand, he pulled out a kunai. "Then try eating this!" He shoved it down to her face. By sheer luck, Sayo caught it with her teeth, but she was struggling to keep him from driving it deeper.

For a brief moment her grip with her teeth slipped, allowing the kunai to be driven deeper before she caught it again. Now the tip was pressing into her uvula. But that wasn't the worst part. 'Oh no, my gag reflex. If I can't control it, this guy will have no trouble stabbing all the way thru.' Sayo tried her hardest to suppress the need to gag, but it was getting to be too much. 'I can't... I'm going to die. Not now, I have so much I want to do. Please Kami, don't let me die.'

Takuma grinned, seeing her frightened expression. Then all of a sudden, he stopped. "What the hell?" With no pressure on the kunai, Sayo got it out of her mouth and Takuma did nothing to stop it. "It can't be. What the hell are you?"

'I have no idea what he's talking about, but I'm not going to let him kill me.' The pigtailed girl told herself. "You like making others taste poison? Try it yourself!" With that, she reached up and tore off his gas mask, exposing him to the poison vapors Sayo had already released.

Takuma immediately covered his mouth, releasing his Kujaku jutsu without realizing it allowing Masa to get back on his feet. He immediately helped Sayo get back on hers. "Is he going to die from this poison?"

Sayo nodded. "It's likely. The Poison Fog Jutsu isn't just for show." She looked at him, but he froze up. "What's wrong?"

"Your eyes. They changed."

* * *

Noyumi was still attacking Hanabi and Kakashi with her own Kujaku cloak, keeping them both at bay. But Noyumi could see they now had a plan, and was waiting to see what they did. Both kept their distance, where Hanabi was at a disadvantage but Kakashi would be alert and able to respond with an appropriate jutsu at a moment's notice.

Thanks to her byakugan, Hanabi easily saw her three students come to the room. "Akane! Noburo! Ichi! Get to my side now!" she shouted when they reached the doorway.

They paused for a moment, not expecting this site, but it passed and the the three genin rushed to their sensei. "What's goign on?" Ichi asked.

"Apparently our Hoshi friends here are on the other need to stop them. Ichi, you go help Tatsu with his problem. Noburo and Akane-chan, you help me and Kakashi out. But don't kill her, we need to see how deep this goes and for that we need the two Hoshi nin alive."

They nodded, but Noburo looked around. "Where are Masa and Sayo?"

"They're handling their own fight. Until we end this one, we can't help them." Hanabi said as she did another Rotation. 'I can't keep that up much longer. I've probably got enough left in me for one at most. Kakashi, I'd really prefer it if you started playing offensively now.'

Kakashi so far had been using some strange kind of wind jutsu where wind swirled around his hand, allowing him to deflect Noyumi's strikes but so far that seemed to be all he was doing. His sharingan was exposed allowing him to see all her attacks and react accordingly, but he had yet to attack back.

Ichi went to assist Tatsu, who went inside the other room while Akane and Noburo got positions by the Hyuuga heiress. Noburo took off his hita-ate, allowing his hair to grow out. Akane however looked impatient, and rushed up to besides Kakashi. "Cover me Kakashi-sensei."

"Akane wait!" The cycloptic jounin said, but he couldn't stop her.

Akane ran up to Noyumi, armed with , she cocked a fist and jumped up, driving a solid punch right to Noyumi's cheek. The punch felt like she had been hit by a cannonball, sending the older kunoichi flying back and leaving a crater in the wall she crashed into.

"Whoa." Kakashi said in awe.

Akane smiled and turned back. "Don't forget I learned a lot from Baa-chan too."

"I better go check my students. Keep her down if you can." Kakashi said before going to the closed door that separated him from Sayo and Masa.

Hanabi and Noburo came up beside the redhead. "Nice job Akane-chan. Now we should tie her up." Hanabi said.

"Not so fast." Noyumi said, spitting out some blood. "That was a good hit, I'll give you that, but my chakra cloak took the brunt of it, so i can keep fighting." She tried to reform her Kujaku cloak.

Hanabi immediately acted. "Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms." She hit all of Noyumi's tenketsu, canceling out the Kujaku method. "That is an impressive chakra you have, but it's still chakra and thus vulnerable to my methods. Noburo, Akane, tie her up."

Noyumi squirmed and groaned, but her Kujaku cloak slowly started to reform around her. "Nice try bitch."

Hanabi was definitely surprised. 'How is she...? Is this like when Naruto-oniisan fought Neji-oniisan ten years ago and he used his second chakra source to undo any juuken hits? I didn't think his technique could do the same thing.'

Akane glared and started to project her red chakra cloak, with no tail formations, making her sensei and teammate step back defensively. "Let's see who has the stronger chakra."

Needless to say, Noyumi was more than a little intimidated.

* * *

Tatsu had his swarm out and on standby. The woman before him had made no attack but she was activating several traps. 'Already she's used a crossbow, a net, a trapdoor, and senbon launchers in the wall. I think it's safe to say she's paranoid.'

Right now this woman was wielding a spear, looking frightened. "I warn ye child to leave me and this place or else be damned by my hand!"

"Are you the one behind all this? Are you the one they refer to as Batsumori?" Tatsu asked. 'She's the only woman here not a prisoner, so it's logical to assume she has a role here.'

The woman glared. "That is Riza Batsumori-sama to you cretin!"

Tatsu subtly shook his head. "I see no reason to call someone orchestrating a mass kidnapping by such an honorific."

"What's going on?" Ichi asked as he came in, avoiding the already triggered booby traps.

"I think she's the one in charge here." The Aburame told the dark-haired boy.

Batsumori looked at the door. "Why are my guards not coming forth?"

Ichi smiled. "Took them out already. My teammate handled them all, caught by surprise." Akane used several dozen clones to incapacitate the guards fearing any silent alarms would or had been triggered. "Your operations are top notch, as long as you aren't under attack. Why is that?"

"If the guards I employed are too feeble to stand up to children that is their own fault. I will just acquire more after this skirmish."

Tatsu looked uncomfortable. As an Aburame, such callous disregard for the ones helping you was taboo to him. "You are out of support and your two ninja guards will soon be defeated. You will be brought to justice for your crimes against your victims."

"Why did you kidnap so many girls anyway?" Ichi asked, readying himself to use a jutsu at any moment.

Batsumori glared. "Like I'm going to tell yo-ugh!" She stiffened and widened her eyes. "No, not now! Not now!" She clutched her heart with her right hand and held up her left hand to look at it. In the light Ichi and Tatsu could see it start to get pale and wrinkled. "Damn you for waking me." She told the boys while reaching for a glass container of red liquid. She opened it and swiftly downed the contents, making her hand return to normal. If anything, she actually got a little younger, close to eighteen years old now.

"What did you just do?" Ichi asked.

"I extended my own live, and now I shall end your own." Batsumori said before charging at them with her spear.

* * *

"What do you mean my eyes changed?" Sayo asked.

Before Masa could answer, Takuma's strained voice cut him off. "Summoning Jutsu." The two genin looked to see him summon a bear. He coughed up some blood. "Your poison may... have worked on me... but it won't on him." He then slumped over, breathing like he couldn't get any oxygen in his lungs.

"That explains where the bear tracks came from." Masa said, getting his two swords out if front. The bear swung a paw and Masa used his sword to block it, cutting the paw. Now it was mad.

The door opened and Kakashi came in. "Masa, Sayo, are you-?" He was cut off by the escaping poison fog. Thankfully his mask kept it mostly out of his system. The bear roared and he immediately started up a chidori. Running forward, he thrust the electric blade right into the bear's back. The summoned animal roared in pain then dispelled. "Are you two 'cough cough' okay?"

"We're fine. Thanks Kakashi-sensei." Sayo said.

Kakashi smiled, until he saw her eyes. "What the...? How is that possible?"

"What's wrong?"

Kakashi did a genjutsu release, but nothing happened. "Sayo, I don't know how, but... apparently you have a doujutsu."

* * *

"Hanabi-sensei, should we help her?" Noburo asked as Akane was brawling with Noyumi. By now he had unsealed his scissor sword from a supply scroll he had on him, something he learned from Tenten.

"When I know how we can I'll let you know." She told the blue-haired boy as she watched the two.

Noyumi tried a beast manifestation of her Kujaku cloak, creating a violet chakra wolf that pounced at Akane. The redhead was undaunted and tore right thru it. She swiped her claws, creating a few cuts on Noyumi's outfit.

'It looks like Akane-chan's bijuu chakra is stronger than her star chakra.' Hanabi thought.

Noyumi stepped back and reached into her pockets. She pulled out two seal tags with unclear designs. "Taste this!" She threw them when Akane was too close to dodge. From one seal burst a round of lightning and from the other a stream of water at the same time. The combination was dangerous even to Akane.

Akane screamed bloody murder as she was electrocuted, her chakra cloak being the only think keeping the dangerous combo from stopping her heart. She stopped moving except to convulse and collapse on the floor as her red aura dissipated much like the poison gas from the other room already had.

"Akane-chan!" Both Hanabi and Noburo shouted.

Noyumi stood over the redhead victoriously. "Who's next?"

Noburo stepped forward, ready to strike with his blade. "You know that the girls here are suffering, and I heard even one of your own was made a prisoner here. Why for the love of Kami are you supporting this?"

"Simple kid, I don't want to die. Learning the Kujaku arts shaved years off my life and being a kunoichi doesn't exactly ensure I'll have any golden years later on. Batsumori-sama promised me that if I worked for her I'd be given a way to live forever and I accepted. If that means someone else has to die so I don't, well I can live with that. Call me a monster if you want, but I'll still be able to sleep at night."

"You are a monster!" Hanabi shouted, getting into her juuken stance. "And how are you certain her promise has any value?"

"I of course asked for proof. Batsumori-sama uses the blood of the kidnapped girls to stay young. As young as the girls who provide it. She just needs to ingest a good amount of it one a month and she can stay young forever."

Noburo arched an eyebrow. "And has she shared this with anyone else? Even you?"

"No, but that's only because it currently only works for those with water element chakra like her and none of us here have that. Once she finds a way to change that she'll share it with us." Noyumi told them.

"I doubt that." Masa's voice was heard saying from the doorway. Noyumi turned to see Kakashi, Masa, and Sayo standing there. Masa had his swords out while Sayo was armed with a single blood-cover kunai and Kakashi had nothing. "Your partner said the goons here only targeted girls with water element chakra. If your leader was trying to change this death-cheating thing, why not take girls with other types?"

"Sounds to me like she was just using you all to keep herself young and never planned to give you a taste of it." Kakashi commented. 'Reminds me of Gato who never intended to pay Zabuza for his work. I could see this woman stringing people along promising something she'll never give.'

Noyumi glared like it would kill them all and readied one more Kujaku method. "Ninja Art Kujaku-" Before she could finish, Sayo threw her kunai. Normally the Kujaku cloak would repel weaker chakra-based attacks, but this kunai had no chakra in it so it passed thru the cloak and embedded itself in her right shoulder. "Nice try girl, but one kunai wouldn't be enough to kill me." The Hoshi kunoichi said as she paused her jutsu to remove the weapon.

"One kunai covered in my blood is more than enough." Sayo said with a smile.

"Why is that?"

"I'm a Shichou, a member of Konoha's poisonous clan. My blood is toxic, almost as strong as black widow spider venom. In fact all my bodily fluids are toxic too. My sweat, my tears, my spit, even my urine, are all toxic. You should be feeling the effects right about now." Sayo explained.

As predicted, Noyumi lurched and became unbalanced, looking like she was in pain.

Kakashi looked at his student. "Nice job Sayo, but can you provide her an antidote? We need at least one of them alive." She nodded and went to the ailing enemy, reaching into her supply pouch to get an antidote.

Hanabi turned around, wondering how Ichi and Tatsu were doing, and saw the two come out of the room with a blinded and chakra-drained Batsumori. "We got her Hanabi-sensei. She's the one in charge of all this." Ichi called out.

The Hyuuga heiress smiled. "Looks like we're finished here then."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: The Long Road To Future Challenges

"So how did the mission go?" Naruto asked the two genin teams.

Kakashi smiled. "It went well Naruto. We reached Hoshi and were greeted by two of their ninja who led us to a town where we gathered clues to the kidnappings and learned of where the victims were being taken. It was an underground base we had to sneak into. The defense was less effective than we expected so it was easy. Though down there we found out the two Hoshi nin who had been accompanying us were on the kidnappers side."

Naruto was surprised and Hinata gasped.

"They attacked us when our group was split up in an effort to catch us off guard, but both attacked sides withheld." Kakashi continued. "We managed to subdue both Hoshi nin, though one of them ended up dying in the process. At the same time two of our genin found the mastermind behind the whole thing. It turned out to be a woman who wanted the blood of the young girls to keep herself young forever."

"Is that even possible?" Hinata asked.

Akane nodded. "Yes, I remember Baa-chan telling me something like that once when I asked her about her own age. She told me there had been many attempts in the past for people to preserve their youth. Once such way is the kinjutsu Red Renewal Jutsu, where the user turns someone else's lifeforce into their own by ingesting blood, but it only works temporarily and under specific circumstances. Baa-chan said several centuries ago a countess from somewhere did this using the people in her lands."

"So this woman kidnapped young girls for a source of blood?" Naruto asked. "How did she get away with it until now? Was Hoshi supporting her?"

"After we got out of there we went to Hoshi and searched for the depth of their involvement." Hanabi answered. "Hoshikage-sama was quite surprised to see two of his shinobi had been doing this kind of work behind his back and was grateful we brought back the survivng one as a prisoner. Right now he should be doing an investigation of his forces to see if others had been too. As for how this woman's been getting away with it for so long, my guess is she's been a great hider in the past but got careless."

"So Hoshi's in the clear. Good. What else did you find?" Naruto asked.

"The good news is at least one of the victims was Gai's kunoichi student Mika Itoma, who somehow ended up in their custody. Gai said she fell into Hoshi's canyon, so it's obvious one of the two Hoshi nin abducted her before the poisonous vapors could kill her. She's not doing too well from residual internal damage so Gai took her right to the hospital." Kakashi told them.

Naruto smiled. "Good. Hopefully now Gai can be his old self again. Though I am going to require notice before she can start training again."

Kakashi nodded. "Now, there are two things to mention that are a bit... weird is all I can say. The first being that one of the prisoners there was a boy, which we certainly weren't expecting. He apparently was kept there because he found the place by accident, rather than for his blood. Right now he's being kept in Hoshi to confirm if any other Hoshi nin were there. After that... he'll probably be given a home somewhere."

Naruto nodded, and caught Akane winking at him, a silent signal she had something to add on the subject later. "And what's the other thing?"

Kakashi and Hanabi shared a look before turning back to Naruto. "I'm still not sure how it can be explained, but apparently Sayo here has a doujutsu."

"A doujutsu?" Naruto asked then looked at the young girl. "Is that normal for your clan?" There were no Shichou in his graduating class, same with Kurama's and Sarutobi's, so they were a clan he wasn't as familiar with compared to those the Rookies belonged to.

Sayo shook her head. "No it isn't. My clan's kekkei genkai is blood-based, not eye-based. We have poisons in our blood and from that our other bodily fluids become poisonous too. I've never heard of a Shichou with a doujutsu before."

"Can you show it to me?" Naruto asked.

Sayo closed her eyes and looked like she was concentrating for a moment. When she opened them, her onyx eyes had become red with a ring around the iris and two tomoes on both rings.

"A sharingan?" Naruto and Hinata both asked.

"How is this possible? Neither of my parents were Uchiha." Sayo asked, turning off her eyes making them return to their normal dark color.

"Apparently someone you're related to is." Hinata calmly said. "You should probably get a blood test done to find out for certain."

"This is going to complicate things for you Sayo." Naruto said. "As soon as people find out, you are going to be made the center of a political circus. And unfortunately, we cannot keep this covered up for long. For now, I want you all to remain silent on this until we can come up with a good way to handle this."

"Shouldn't the shinobi be made aware of a sharingan bearer in Konoha? There has been much talk about it for the past four years." Masa asked.

With all Uchiha extinct, there was only one way to give the Sharingan a comeback in Konoha. Before Sasuke had been executed for his crimes, sperm samples had been taken from him, without his consent naturally, and stored away for future use. So far no woman in Konoha had been willing to have children using his sperm, fearing the stigma they and their child would end up with. And using alternative Uchiha sperm was impossible since during the Pain Invasion all stored samples of various sperm and egg from multiple ninja had been destroyed, making Sasuke's DNA the only Uchiha DNA in Konoha.

"Yes, that's true. However, right now doing so will only raise more questions than answers and alert potential spies of Sayo's secret. With the chuunin exams not that far away we don't need anyone coming here specifically to scope her out like Orochimaru did ten years ago. So until we can at least learn how Sayo inherited the sharingan, no one outside this room must know. Understand?"

Everyone nodded, seeing the wisdom there. "Umm... Hokage-sama?" Sayo nervously asked. "I'm not the daughter of Sasuke Uchiha, right?"

Naruto shook his head. "It's impossible. In order for him to be your father you would have had to be conceived roughly when he was nine years old. You're more likely to be Itachi's daughter than Sasuke's."

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better." Sayo commented.

Naruto looked at Kakashi and Hanabi. "And what was done about the woman in charge of the whole thing?"

"We apprehended her and put restraints on her. Right now she should be in anbu custody. From what we've learned she's got another month to find more blood or she'll age rapidly and die. So since we've already got a confession out of her, I'd personally say letting her sit in prison and having Nature take it's course would be punishment enough." Kakashi answered.

"Makes sense. So ultimately everything turned out fine?"

Hanabi nodded. "I'd say so. The criminals were arrested and the victims were returned home."

Naruto smiled. "Good job everyone." He then gave the two teams their pay for the mission. "Could someone later tell Gai to come and pick up his pay before the end of the day?"

"I guess I could do that." Kakashi said.

"Good. So is there more to tell me?" Naruto asked. No one responded. "Very well, you're all dismissed."

Everyone but Akane left the room, assuming she just wanted to spend some time with her parents first. "What's on your mind dear?" Hinata asked, using her byakugan to ensure no one was around to overhear.

"Otou-san, Okaa-san, that boy that was prisoner there... I've got a bad feeling about him."

"Why's that?" Both adults asked.

"He called himself Gomakashi and told a convincing background story, but..." Akane briefly looked wary to admit the next part. "He smelled like a fox."

"A fox?" Naruto repeated, then he and his wife shared a look before looking back at his daughter. "You mean like those foxes that you encountered four years ago?"

"Exactly. He didn't say anything or do anything about me, but I'm sure he knows who I am. And I'm pretty sure he's going to come back someday."

* * *

Three weeks passed and things stayed normal for Akane's team. They did some more D rank missions and a couple C ranks, but nothing major happened on them. At the same time nothing conclusive had been determined about Sayo, although Tsunade had been brought into the secret in order for her to perform the needed blood test.

Hanabi had given them more intensive training, but she unfortunately couldn't do what she wanted. "I had something in mind to give you three once we came back, but apparently my support has been out of town and I can't do this without them. But when they get back, there's no escape for you three."

That was in their first week back from Hoshi, and so far Hanabi's 'support' had yet to return. She compensated by pushing her students harder herself. The Hyuuga heiress did things like sparring while using the tree-walking and water-walking exercises, longer taijutsu sessions, camp-outs combined with survivalist training and tracking lessons, as well as interrogation methods to use on captured targets.

"Hey Sensei, why aren't we learning more jutsu?" Noburo asked, noticing Hanabi was teaching them everything except ninjutsu and genjutsu. Heck she even gave him tips for kenjutsu, but nothing regarding the other two fields besides chakra control.

"Yeah, what gives?" Akane asked. Even Ichi looked curious.

Hanabi motioned for them to sit down, and they did. "Guys, I'm going to be frank. There are three reasons I'm not teaching you any jutsu like that yet. The first is the simplest reason. I'm not a ninjutsu specialist so there's little on the subject I _can_ teach you. Someone like Kakashi-san or Konohamaru-kun would be better for you for that, and they have agreed to help when I say you're ready for it."

"Is that the second reason? You think we're not ready?" Akane asked.

"On the contrary. I know you three are ready. The problem is you already know enough for genin." Hanabi replied, confusing the three preteens."Why do you think in the academy you only learn three basic jutsu instead of more? Why do you think the genin you've seen from clans only use one maybe two key moves?"

"Because they're stepping stones to the more advanced lessons." Ichi answered.

Hanabi nodded, her hands on her hips. "True, but that's not all. Legally you are all adults, but mentally you are still children. You are still not mature enough for the advanced lessons, and power is not a good thing for the immature to have. You gain maturity thru experience and knowing your limits, and my primary job is to give you experience and tests rather than power."

"But Obasan, if that's true, then why have I been given lessons on jutsu for years now?" Akane asked.

"Because you Akane-chan are a special case." Hanabi answered, already informed her two other students knew of Akane's origins. "Most kids start out with small amounts of chakra and need basic lessons to learn how to increase it and control it at the same time. That's why the number of the jutsu offered to them is limited. Because their chakra networks can only handle so much and too much exhausts them sooner. You however were born with a huge amount of chakra and a basic instinct for jutsu. You just needed to learn how to control it and prevent yourself from going overboard in a fight."

"The problem with rookie shinobi is it's so easy for them to overestimate themselves and go overboard in a serious situation. I admit I did that once, and even Hokage-sama is guilty of that in his youth. This is why most genin and academy students are limited in jutsu lessons, to decrease the likelihood of such behavior. In your case Akane-chan, such restraints would have only increased the likelihood of you going feral. You needed more of an outlet for your power so going feral would be a last resort, not a first."

Akane nodded. "Yeah I kinda figured that was the reason. What you said just made me wonder for a moment."

Hanabi briefly nodded in acknowledgement. "And the third reason is I've been preparing you three for something far more important than jutsu lessons these past few weeks."

"Like what?" All three genin asked.

Hanabi smirked and pulled out three pieces of paper. "I've been impressed by your performance on missions lately, so I nominated you three for the chuunin exams."

The three preteens were all wide-eyed. "Seriously?" Noburo asked.

"Yes. Now, it's up to you three to decide if you wish to actually participate. You don't have to decide yet. In fact, I insist on thinking it over tonight and deciding tomorrow morning. Just remember, no one's allowed to actually tell you what goes on in these exams. If it looks like you have inside knowledge of the test, that would be considered an automatic grounds for disqualification."

Akane nodded. "So what _can_ you tell us about it?"

"The test is divided into three parts, each testing different traits chuunin are required to have. Killing is permitted and to be expected in the second and third part. Genin for other villages will show up and fight in ways you've never seen so be prepared, but also know no one's allowed to fight outside the official tests without being disqualified. And before you go in, pack like you're going on a week long mission. Trust me, it will come in handy. Other than that, you're going to have to find out on your own."

"When are the exams again?" Ichi asked as she handed them their forms to look over and sign.

"The day after tomorrow. And tomorrow around noon I'm going to need your answers. But for now, up on your feet. We've got more training to fit in first."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: A Night To Think It Over

"So what do you think boys?" Akane asked Noburo and Ichi as the three left the training ground later that afternoon after a rough session. They were taking their time as all three of them were worn out from it.

"I figured you'd say yes no matter what, and if I said no you'd probably prank me, so that kinda limits my choices."

"Noburo-kun, you do realize I had no intention of bullying you or Ichi-kun into this right?" Akane asked. "I mean yeah I want to be in this test, but I'm not going to hurt you guys for deciding to wait."

"Serious?" Ichi asked.

Akane flashed her fox smile. "Nope." She then giggled teasingly, letting them know she was just joking.

Ichi looked down a different path than the one they were walking down. "Well my place is this way. I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Hey Ichi-kun, you mind showing us where you live?" Akane asked, surprising her teammates. "I mean, I know where Noburo-kun and Sensei live, but not you. If I know and ever have to track you down for some reason, a point of reference could help me out quite a bit."

The dark-haired boy thought it over briefly. "You have a point. Sure. Ane-ue's not home so I don't see why not."

With that, Akane and Noburo followed Ichi to his home. He lived in a different part of Konoha then they did so they weren't exactly familiar with the area. In Konoha clan compounds were on the outer ring of the village except where the gates in and out were. The interior of the village was for the civilian residences and the majority of the businesses. Akane and Noburo both lived in the former Uchiha district but Ichi did not.

As it turned out, Ichi lived in an apartment complex located closer to the Nara compound than the Uchiha district. The building was three levels tall and judging from the number of doors on the front side each level had four apartments. Ichi led them to the door marked 2.

Akane repressed a laugh but nudged Noburo then whispered. "And here I thought Ichi lived in Apartment 1."

Ichi must not have heard her. "Want to come in?"

Noburo nodded. "Why not? I don't have to be home anytime soon."

Akane thought it over. "I can't stay long. I do have to watch my brother tonight while my parents are out."

"Why not leave a clone?" Noburo asked.

Akane gave him an 'Are you crazy?' look. "Because when I have to babysit Rai-chan I'm always allowed to eat ramen as much as I want."

"Oh of course." Noburo said semi-sarcastically.

Akane narrowed her eyes. "I don't eat ramen as much as you may think Noburo-kun. Okaa-san's very strict about that. I'm lucky if I get it more than three times a week."

"Hello?" A new voice said, making all three genin look to their rights. There they saw a girl their age, maybe a year younger than themselves, standing there. She had brown hair that reached an inch under her shoulders with her bangs kept aside by two sun clips. Her eyes were yellow, just like her blouse which had a red floral print covering her left side and sleeve. She wore a purple skirt that ended two inches above her knees and high white boots tied together with pink laces.

"Hello. Who are you?" Noburo politely asked.

"I'm Masumi Kondo. Nice to meet you." She said quietly with a bow.

"Nice to meet you too. Are we in your way or something?" Akane greeted back.

"Oh no Akane-sama, I just was on my way to the laundry room as saw Ichi-kun here had company over so I thought I'd say hello."

Akane flinched and looked bothered. "Please don't call me sama. I've got bad memories of people calling me that."

"But you are Hokage-sama's daughter. It would be rude to call you anything less."

'I wonder if this is how Konohamaru-san used to feel.' The redhead asked herself.

"I better go. See you later Ichi-kun." Masumi said with a blush and wave as she walked past the group, almost moving like she was in a hurry.

"A neighbor of yours?" Akane asked Ichi.

He nodded. "Two doors down. Civilian. Never really sticks around to talk for long, and is always quiet when she does talk. It's a little weird." Akane knowingly smiled but said nothing. Ichi dropped the subject and invited them in.

* * *

Akane ended up only staying at Ichi's for an hour before she headed home. Now it was late and Jiraiya had been put to bed, but Naruto and Hinata had yet to return home. "Where did they go again?" She asked herself after she brushed her teeth wearing an orange set of pajamas. "Weren't they going to something out of town? Wish I hadn't been in such a hurry to head out this morning; I probably would remember what they said better." She walked out of the bathroom. "I wonder when they're coming back."

"Nee-chan!" Jiraiya could be heard screaming.

Tensing only for a second due to the unexpectedness of the shout, Akane quickly rushed to her brother's room and practically tore the door off it's hinges. Inside she saw a man wearing a black cloak and mask that covered half of his face like Kakashi. There was no headband, what could be seen under his cloak looked like a plain black anbu outfit without the vest. This man had unkempt black hair that hung to his shoulders and unfriendly red eyes. In his arms there was a struggling Jiraiya, who looked at Akane pleading in fear and had his mouth covered while he squirmed.

Akane's eyes turned red and slitted. "Let my brother go now!"

"Fat chance brat." The intruder said, his voice muffled to sound deeper. "I've already got the Hyuuga kid. All I need is this one and I'm going to be stinking rich."

Akane wanted nothing more than to rip this guy apart, but as long as he held Jiraiya she couldn't attack as preferred or risk her bijuu chakra getting out of hand. Though with him provoked, it was taking all the control she learned in the past four years to keep herself from going feral. Nonetheless, she revealed claws and fangs. "Over my dead body."

"Love to, but I didn't come here to fight." The intruder said before throwing down a smoke bomb which blinded Akane and plugged her nose with a foul odor. She was unable to avoid coughing and closing her eyes, and even though the smoke cleared quickly, when it did the intruder was gone along with Jiraiya.

Not wasting a moment, Akane went out the open window and tried to find the guy's scent, even though her nose was still irritated. Her eyes were working fine so she looked around, only to see Noburo looking around his house too.

"Akane-chan!" He called out. She came down so he wouldn't have to shout. "Did you see someone near here?"

"Yes, he took Rai-chan. I"m going to kill him once I find him."

Noburo looked surprised. "Someone kidnapped Kohaku too. Neechan's frantic right now, especially with Neji-oniisan out with the other Hyuugas tonight."

Akane realized something. "The guy I saw said he got a Hyuuga kid too. Kohaku must have been it. Please help me find this guy."

Noburo nodded. "No problem, but we should go get Ichi. The job will be easier if the team's together."

Akane nodded then created possibly a hundred clones. They immediately knew they were to do everything short of rip Konoha apart brick by brick to find the taken children while the original and Noburo went back to their teammate's apartment.

Once informed, Ichi was more than willing to help his teammates regain the kidnapped kids. Dansue was sound asleep so he didn't have to tell her anything and just went out with them.

"I think my clones found the guy. He's by the hospital and moving fast." Akane said, leading the way since she was the fastest of the trio, using her killed clones memories to guide her. She wanted to go full speed, but knowing her teammates were with her instinctively made her slow down for their sake. Even so, they were hauling themselves to still keep up with her as they jumped from roof to roof. "Now he's heading to the village wall."

"Who is this guy?" Ichi asked.

"Dead meat." Akane answered, her eyes still red.

"If this guy is good enough to do what he did, what do we do to stop him?" Ichi asked.

"Akane-chan, care to make a plan or would you rather just go in like a demon and endanger your brother?" Noburo asked.

Akane looked at the blue-haired boy angrily but both boys could tell they had her attention. "I'm listening."

* * *

The kidnapper stood atop the hokage monument, looking as if he was waiting for someone. At his feet were Jiraiya Uzumaki and Kohaku Hyuuga, bound and gagged and crying. The kidnapper looked at them briefly with sympathy, but did nothing to release them.

A few shuriken were thrown at him and he ducked to avoid them. When he got back up, he saw Akane and Noburo standing before him each clutching a kunai tightly.

"Give them back." Akane said forcefully without yelling.

"Or you'll what, genin?"

"I've killed before to protect my family, so don't think for one second I won't do it again." The redhead added.

"You look like you're waiting for someone." Noburo pointed out, sounding suspicious. "How many are you working with?"

"That's none of your business brat."

"You kidnap our brothers and tell us this is none of our business?" Akane asked, trembling with rage and very close to unleashing her kyuubi chakra. "When you get to hell, tell them the future hokage sent you."

"Before you act rash, how about we make a little deal." The kidnapper stated calmly, as if he had nothing to fear from them.

"Here's a deal for you: You give them back without a fuss, and I'll only wound you instead of kill you." Akane declared.

"Here's my deal." The kidnapper said, holding up a single finger to emphasize what he was saying. "The Uzumaki and the Hyuuga are the most influential families in Konoha, given the Hokage and his wife. If each clan gives me half of their accounts in cash within an hour, I'll return the kids without any hassle or harm to them. Otherwise, I'm sure there's a village that would love to take in these boys for a price."

"And why should we believe for a second you'd keep your word?" Noburo asked.

"Rest assured I am an honest man. When it comes to talking anyway."

"How stupid do you think we are? We're supposed to believe you're honest just because you _say_ you are?" Akane asked.

"Can you risk not listening to me?" The kidnapper asked back.

"Actually, we can." Noburo said with a smile, confusing the kidnapper just before he saw a flash of light in his peripheral vision.

"Twilight Style Dark Kraken Jutsu." could be heard called out from behind. When the kidnapper tried to look behind himself, he felt a small chill at the base of his feet crawl up his body at random spots. He jumped to avoid any brewing attack or trap, but in the air the jutsu finished its effect. The shadow Ichi had created had attached itself to the kidnapper in various locations and tightened up, creating a sort of net that severely restricted his movements. So when he landed, he was incapable of continuing to stand under his own power and fell on his side.

"Now Akane-chan!" Noburo shouted.

On cue, the redhead sprang forward with both hands out, unclenched and weaponless. She got close to the kidnapper and attacked just like a Hyuuga would, but hitting only the arms and legs. When she stopped Noburo unsealed a bottle from a scroll and poured it's contents on the downed man. The contents looked, felt, and smelled exactly like mousse, but upon contact with his body it hardened like quick-dry cement, entrapping him even better than Ichi's shadow technique had. The kidnapper struggled, but he quickly felt his arms and legs go numb as if Novocaine had been injected directly into the muscles.

Two Anbu, one male and one female, appeared on the rooftop. "Thank you Akane Uzumaki for informing us with your clones. Thank you Noburo Sentaka for subduing this criminal. And thank you Ichinoshikyo for giving us your position with that flare. We will take it from here. You and your teammate can take the children back home if you desire."

Akane and Noburo nodded and untied Jiraiya and Kohaku, who in their hysterics hugged the twelve year olds crying for comfort. Akane shedded a tear of relief, happy her brother was safe in her arms again. Kohaku wasn't really Noburo's brother, more of a nephew, but he did view the young boy as part of his family and was no less relieved, even if he didn't cry.

Team Three departed with the younger children and the anbu took away the kidnapper. Not wanting to startle the kids any further, they chose to walk down the streets rather than jump from roof to roof.

"What do you think they'll do to the guy?" Noburo asked out of curiosity.

Akane shrugged. "Don't know, don't honestly care. Just as long as he never sees the light of day again."

Ichi put his hand on his chin. "Something doesn't add up here." He thought aloud, drawing his teammate's attentions. "If money was what he really wanted, why do such a risky thing to get your attentions? Surely he knew retaliation was inevitable."

"What are you getting at Ichi-kun?" Akane asked.

"He took two kids but didn't bother leaving the village or leaving any ransom notes. He waited for someone to catch up to him, and he looked like he expected you two but not me. He didn't fight back, and he had no reason to believe you two even could fulfill his request. Doesn't make any sense."

Both Akane and Noburo thought about it. "You've got a point. We should bring this up tomorrow with someone." Noburo commented.

"Speaking of tomorrow, what do we do about the chuunin exams?" Akane asked.

"I know I don't want something like this to happen again, and if this test can help make that possible, I'm in." Noburo stated.

"You two definitely need me as back-up. How can you pass without me?" Ichi added with a confident smile, feeling for the first time in a long time like he truly had an important role in his team. Usually he felt overshadowed by his two stronger teammates, but tonight he proved to them and him that his planning was vital.

Ichi had come up with the idea for Akane and Noburo to approach the kidnapper but not fighting him directly, while Ichi came up from behind. Akane and Noburo would stall the target while he prepared a trap and they would both prevent him from escaping, all the while Akane's clone told the anbu to come help in case the kidnapper had more up his sleeve than the genin could handle. Had he not offered the plan, Akane would have likely charged in like a demon and torn the man apart, possibly endangering the two hostages and ruining her reputation as a good person and kunoichi.

Akane smiled. "Great. Let's tell Sensei tomorrow. For now, let's just go home."

* * *

"They didn't hurt you did they?" One of the Anbu asked the kidnapper when they were in a training ground.

The kidnapper dispelled his disguise, revealing himself to be Konohamaru. At eighteen years old, Konohamaru looked like a young version of his uncle. He had no beard, and his complexion was better with the lack of smoking. He wore a black shirt under his jounin vest, his old scarf was gone but his hitai-ate was longer than normal like Neji's, and he wore black pants, dark blue shoes, and white fingerless gloves.

"No not at all. Good, because Boss's girl could have killed me had she really wanted to. She had that look in her eyes." Konohamaru said. "Can someone get me out of this stuff?"

The two Anbu took off their masks, showing they were actually Moegi and Udon, who were impersonating Anbu for this task. Moegi had matured a lot at eighteen years old too. She now wore her hair down instead of up and it was longer now, reaching a little below her shoulders, though the end was still tied up in two points like always. She wore a jounin vest over a grey long-sleeve blouse, dark red pants, and black boots. Figure-wise she was built similarly to Ino at her age. Udon had let his hair grow out a little but it was still a normal look for a man and he no longer had a chronic runny nose. His face was narrower without any baby fat left and his glasses no longer made him look like a bookworm. He wore an outfit almost identical to Iruka, only different being his sleeves were short.

"So how did it go?" Naruto asked as he stepped out of the shadows, followed by Hinata, Neji, and Tenten.

"They did perfectly Hokage-sama. They reacted to the threat with promptness and cunning rather than impulsiveness and worked as a team rather than as individuals. I'd say they are indeed ready to take the exams." Udon said as he and Moegi worked at freeing Konohamaru from his encasement.

"I still say it was a bad idea to test them like this." Tenten commented with crossed arms. She had known all along what was going on so she acted devastated to fool Noburo, but her anger was no act.

Hinata nodded. "I agree. I understand exactly what you were trying to do honey, but why did we have to get our son involved like this?"

"It was the only way to truly test the maturity of the three of them, by making it personal." Neji said. "I don't like it either, and I know Naruto didn't like it any more than any of us, but it was the best option."

Naruto nodded. "True. And at least our boys were never in any real danger. Konohamaru only took henged shadow clones I left while we had the real ones until we had to give them to him to fool Akane-chan and the others."

"It's just like when I was kidnapped and Boss had to rescue me." Moegi interjected. "We didn't know at the time it was staged, but it helped show he was capable of handling the hardships of the test. We just did the same basic thing here for his daughter's team. It worked, and no one was truly hurt or endangered."

"If it makes you feel better girls, we'll both sleep on the couchs until you say otherwise." Naruto told Hinata and Tenten.

"I didn't agree to that." Neji interjected.

"Oh yes you are." Tenten threatened with narrowed eyes.

Neji gulped. "Yes dear."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Akane's Family Comes To Town

The next morning Naruto, Akane, and Neji returned to their homes, pretending they were unaware of what happened regarding their sons as they listened to Akane and Noburo tell what happened the previous night. They showed shock at hearing Jiraiya and Kohaku abducted by a mysterious criminal, and praise for the two preteens for stepping in and capturing him for the Anbu without causing unnecessary violence and property damage.

Dansue had been left out of the whole thing, so her reaction to hearing this from Ichi was genuine.

Naturally that morning the trio got ahold of Hanabi and told her they were willing to take the test. "Great." She told them, accepting their signed forms. "Now be careful. This test will not be easy. To quote my own sensei, 'Oh yes, there will be blood.' Anyway, I've got to go turn these in so you three feel free to relax for the day and try to prepare yourself for it. Get supplies, and make plans for various situations. Oh, and try not to cause trouble with others. Many genin from out of town might be coming here today to get ready too." She gave them a teasing grin like she knew more than she was saying then left suddenly.

At lunchtime, Team Three were seated at Ichirakus ordering something to eat. "I'm still surprised you suggested this for once Ichi." Noburo said while they waited.

"Me too, but I'm not complaining." Akane added.

"I like ramen too. Just not like Akane-san does." Ichi commented.

"Who all do you think is going to be in the exams with us?" Noburo asked.

Akane shrugged. "No idea. Otou-san can't tell me without me getting disqualified. But I did hear from Shiba-chan that her team is going to be in it."

"Really? That's good. At least one ally for us here." The blue-haired boy replied. "Y'know, now that I think about it, we haven't seen them much lately."

"We've both been busy. But now we'll get the chance later."

"Hey Akane!" A woman's voice called out. All three genin turned to see Temari coming their way. "Your parents wanted me to bring you a message. Whatever you do, stay away from your house until 5:00 tonight. After that, come home and bring your teammates with you. They're invited over for dinner if they wish, as long as you all keep busy until then."

"Sounds good." Noburo said.

"Sounds odd." Ichi countered.

"Are my parents planning a surprise of some kind?" Akane asked.

"If I told you that would ruin it. Just do this as a favor to them, okay?" Temari asked.

Akane nodded. "No problem. Thanks Temari-san."

"Good. Now stay out of troublesome. I mean _trouble_. Stay of out _trouble_. Damn you Shika!" Temari went off, making the genin laugh at her frustration.

* * *

5:00 came and Team Three went to Akane's house after an afternoon of light training and recreation. As soon as they got there Akane's nose was flooded with the scents of various animals. Yet her territoriality didn't feel threatened.

The front door opened and Hinata stepped out dressed like a housewife wearing an apron. "Hello dear. How was your day?"

"It was okay. I'm not too early am I?" Akane asked.

"No not at all. Your timing's perfect actually. You and your teammates can come right in. Hope you're hungry. There's ramen for you."

Akane perked up and walked in, Noburo and Ichi following her. Once inside, she saw eight girls waiting for her, standing against a wall. She stopped in her tracks, surprised, then smiled. "Wow! You guys are all here?"

"You know them?" Ichi asked, not seeing how she could considering none of them wore the Konoha symbol on their hitai-ates. Instead they bore the insignia's of Suna, Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri, two apiece.

"Sure do. They're my cousins."

"You've seen us before, remember?" A girl with sand-colored hair and a raccoon mask around her light blue eyes asked. She wore a dark brown long sleeve shirt that had the kanji for Love written on the left shoulder, worn under a tan vest with clasps and weapon pouches. She wore faded dark blue pants, six scrolls hung from hooks at her waist, and a Suna hitai-ate around her neck like Hinata did.

"You're... the kazekage's kids, right?" Noburo asked.

"Sure are. I'm Mushi Subaku and that's my sister Shukaku Subaku." A red-eyed girl with purple hair led back in two tuffs answered. She wore a white jacket over a tan girdle-like top that used mesh armor to cover everything under her collarbone, and a white skirt with the kanji for Heaven over black shorts, held together with a green obi-like belt. On her back was a pink backpack, and her Suna hitai-ate was wrapped around the left strap.

"And don't forget about us." A blue-and-black-haired girl with green cat eyes wearing a Kumo hitai-ate around her neck too said eagerly. Her apparel consisted of a yellow-orange tank top that clearly showed off her generous bosom and cleavage for her age, and brown pants with a red belt that had two black flaps hanging above her left and right waist. She had mesh armor on her elbows and grey bandages on her forearms, a belt buckle with a paw print on it, and tassels hanging from her black flaps and earrings.

Ichi was the first to address her. "Hi, I'm Ichinoshikyo. What's your name?" He blushed looking at her, trying not to focus at her visible cleavage. 'I thought Akane-san was big for her age, but this girl's even bigger.'

"Hey there stud. I'm Yugiko Funi, the hottest kunoichi in Kumo."

"Hey! What am I? Chopped liver?" The other Kumo girl asked, offended. She had orange eyes, short brown hair, and a white hitai-ate worn the same way Sakura wore her own. She wore a short sleeve beige-grey shirt covered with thin vertical stripes under a sky blue vest that had horn symbols over her breasts. Her pants were grey and looked like they had weapon pouches sewn in under the pockets, and she wore white gloves with three red stripes on each and metal plates on the back of the hand with the kanji for iron on them both. On her lower back, in the same way Tenten carried her massive scroll, this girl had two swords with the handles pointing out, both ending in sharp points.

"No, you're surf-and-turf." Yugiko joked, making a few of the other girls laugh at various volumes.

"What's your name?" Ichi asked to be polite and avoid a fight. 'This girl's cute, but she doesn't have the same sex appeal this Yugiko has.'

"Kirako Yagami, the _strongest_ kunoichi in Kumo."

"Humble, aren't they?" Akane sarcastically whispered to Noburo. She then turned to the two from Kiri. "Noburo-kun, this is Shinbou Kyogami, and Misao Namikoji, my cousins from Kiri. They're good fighters, but they're the slowest of our entire group."

"We're not that slow Akane." Shinbou countered. She was a pink-eyed blue-haired girl sporting a lavender hitai-ate on her forehead and a single red stripe down her right cheek under her eye. Her hair looked like a normal pageboy cut but under it at the back she had three ponytails hanging down to her waist. She wore a green kimono with red trim, mesh armor underneath in the visible areas, and dull blue pants with a yellow weapon pouch on her right leg and a sword tied to her left hip. Up close you could see she was the shortest one here, coming up to about Akane's chin at the highest.

"And I suppose you didn't have to leave early to get here tonight?" Akane teasingly asked.

"We did, but it was because we have to travel by sea unlike the others." Misao defended. She had pink-tinted lavender hair cut short with a white flower held up above her left ear, and a blue hitai-ate across her forehead with most of it hidden under her hair. Her eyes were strange, for they were golden amber in color and her pupils were cross-shaped. She wore an aqua blue top with a dark blue edge on top that exposed her shoulders and forearms, with a strap going over her left shoulder. She wore black pants with a grey belt and a dark grey flap over her left hip, and gold bracelets on her wrists with pearls embedded in the metal. Her clothes also had lace frills in many places, such as the ends of her sleeves and pant legs, and the bottom of her shirt and side flap.

"And since when has that ever been a problem for you two?" Akane asked.

"The point is we're here now. And ready to kick your butt in the exams." Shinbou commented.

"Not if I get to her first Turtle Girl." One of the Iwa kunoichi said confidently. This one had long red hair just like Akane, but the hair in the front was a bright yellow parted above her forehead. She wore a black top under a pink kimono top that had floral print and only one sleeve, over her left arm. She also wore a tan leather vest over that with a single strap over her right shoulder, and her hitai-ate fastened to the abdomen of it. On her right arm there was a mesh guard on the forearm and nothing else. She also wore short dark purple cut-off shorts with a brown weapon pouch strapped to her right thigh and brown climbing shoes. Attached to her back was a steel rod, with the top blunt end sticking up and right, and the bottom pointed end sticking down and left.

"I wouldn't mind facing you in the finals either Kyouko. And considering my advantage, I'm your worst enemy." Shinbou said to her Iwa cousin.

"And I'd be yours Shinbou." The other Iwa nin added. She had pale blue hair that in the right light looked like it had white streaks mixed in, covered by a hitai-ate modified to be a bandanna. Her eyes were orange but under them were red half-rings, making it look like she was permanently wearing some kind of make-up. She wore a tan haori and hakama with black edges, a dull pink underkimono, with a red obi and grey cloth guards on the visible parts of her arms. She wore dull blue running shoes and even a golden horseshoe on a necklace. Up close you could see she was rather tall for her age.

"Fuzei and I are going to kick ass in these exams." Kyouko declared with much enthusiasm, though apparently her partner didn't look like she shared the energy.

"I'm surprised to see Iwa nin here in Konoha." Noburo mentioned. "Didn't think the tsuchikage allowed genin to come to villages like ours for these tests."

"Maybe the sandaime tsuchikage, but the yondaime tsuchikage is a bit more willing to try new possibilities." Kyouko answered. "Hi, I'm Kyouko Yotsuya, and this is my sister Fuzei Kusaka."

"If you're sisters then why don't you have the same surname? Like the ones from Suna." Noburo asked.

"We couldn't agree on a shared name so we ended up taking our own." Fuzei answered.

"Same with me and Misao." Shinbou added.

"Our names were assigned." Kirako answered. "In Kumo surnames usually belong to the civilians or special ninja. Raikage-sama was more than willing to call my sister and I special ninja. For reasons I cannot explain."

"Why is that about the names?" Noburo asked. 'Weird, right now I can see she's even taller than the horseshoe girl. She's like a full head taller than Akane-chan.'

Kirako shrugged. "Village secret, so I can't really indulge that."

"Where are your teammates and senseis?" Akane asked.

"Finding us a hotel. We were asked by your father to come here without them so we could catch up again like we enjoy." Kirako answered.

Akane smiled. "Good. I always enjoy when we all get together again."

"Why are your teammates here but ours aren't?" Fuzei asked.

Akane opened her mouth to answer, only to discover he didn't have one and remained silent. Hinata walked up holding Jiraiya. "That's because you won't have anything to hide from them tonight."

"Hey there little fellow." Mushi said when she saw Jiraiya.

The young boy immediately perked up and reached out for her. "Mushi Mushi Mushi!" Hinata smiled and handed her son to the purple-haired Suna kunoichi.

Noburo was immediately confused. "What's with your brother?"

"He likes Mushi-chan a lot because her name is easy for him to say and she always has candy for him every time she's in Konoha. Look."

Akane answered then pointed. Sure enough, Mushi had reached into her backpack and pulled out an exotic treat from Suna, a honey-coated onigiri. The young boy practically tried to scarf it down once it was in his hands.

"Careful Rai-chan or you'll choke." She said as she took the treat back and broke it into smaller pieces for him to safely eat.

"Umm... Uzumaki-san, what do you mean we don't have anything to hide from these boys?" Misao asked Hinata.

"They know about Akane-chan already, and you eight too. So you can relax around them without fear?"

All of Akane's cousins turned their eyes towards her. "You told them?" Shukaku asked.

She sighed and nodded, feeling slightly ashamed of herself right now. "Yes. The timing was right, and as you can tell they've accepted me. They shouldn't have any problem accepting you all too. Don't your teammates know about you?"

They all shook their heads. "No, we're still careful not to reveal ourselves just yet." Mushi said.

"Our sensei does though." Yugiko said. "She has for years. She's a real nice person. The mother we never had." Kirako nodded in agreement.

"I think all your sensei's know so they can handle any dangerous situations properly." Hinata stated. "I'm sorry if that offends any of you but it's your kage's duty to make sure you never lose control of yourselves."

"Oh we know that." Shinbou replied calmly as the girls nodded.

"So which bijuu are each of you?" Ichi curiously asked.

"Going in numerical order, I'm the ichibi no tanuki." Shukaku answered.

"I'm the nibi no bakeneko." Yugiko purred.

"I'm the sanbi no kyodaigame." Shinbou told him.

"I'm the yonbi no saru." Kyouko said.

"I'm the gobi no irukauma." Fuzei stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm the rokubi no namekuji." Misao replied.

"I'm the shichibi no kabutomushi." Mushi confirmed.

"And I'm the hachibi no ushioni." Kirako finished.

"What's an irukauma or ushioni?" Ichi asked.

"I'm part ox and part octopus." Kirako answered.

"And I'm part horse and part dolphin." Fuzei added.

"So does that make you a seahorse?" Noburo smirked. Akane openly laughed at the joke while Kyouko, Mushi, and Misao tried to suppress their laughing. Fuzei just frowned at the blue-haired boy but did nothing else.

Ichi looked confused as hell. "Two animals mixed together like that? How does that happen?"

Both girls shrugged. "Don't know. We were just born this way."

"Do you have special abilities?" Noburo asked.

"You'll have to wait until the exams to find out. Pray you don't have to fight us." Mushi answered.

"Will do. I can barely handle sparring Akane-chan and I _know_ what she can do." Noburo replied, making several of the bijuu girls laugh.

"If it happens I don't intend to give up so easily." Ichi commented.

Yugiko smiled. "Nice. Now that's a man, one who's not afraid of girls even if they can kick his ass."

Akane looked at Hinata. "You let them swear but not me?"

"I'm not their mother. I can't control how they're raised. You young lady on the other hand are under my authority and I say watch your language."

"Yes Okaa-san."

* * *

For hours the nine cousins got reacquainted with each other while the two boys occasionally became part of the conversation. In the process, Noburo and Ichi got to learn more about the girls, and very quickly saw them like people, just like they did for Akane.

For the most part, Noburo and Ichi were surprised to see how Akane acted around her cousins. Normally Akane didn't interact with large crowds and was often described as a bit of a tomboy, given her attire and eagerness to play rough. That was probably why she had only one real female friend, with two other girls being mostly acquaintances then true friends.

Around her cousins, Akane acted a bit differently. She still talked like herself, but she didn't act uncomfortable in this group. She acted like she was in her element. Back at the Academy, Akane behaved more like everything she did or said had a purpose, sometimes one only she knew but still had, except during the times she was on break and could relax. That had likely been because of three factors, her dream to become hokage, her fear of revealing something demonic, and her desire to make her adopted family proud of her. Right here, surrounded by people that were just like her, she looked like she had nothing to be afraid of.

Dinner came and apparently Naruto and Hinata decided to host by serving each of their guests their favorite foods. The main course was various barbecued meats with some seafood and fruits for those that didn't like red meat, and lots of cookies for an appetizer/dessert. Shukaku kept snacking on the cookies, Shinbou practically hogged the watermelon, and Kirako adamantly avoided anything made out of beef. Yugiko and Fuzei tried sharing the shrimp and crabmeat platter while Kyouko couldn't get enough fruit, going thru the bananas first and foremost. Mushi, Akane, Noburo, and Ichi simply enjoyed the offered food while Misao's only quirk was that she avoided anything with salt on it.

The whole time Naruto and Hinata ate separately from the kids, giving them from privacy while having some themselves. The genin ate indoors so no one would overheard any confidential info, while the adults ate outside.

"This exam is certainly going to be something, right koi?" Hinata asked. Naruto nodded, unable to speak until he finished chewing his food. "I hope Akane-chan makes it thru okay."

"I'm sure she will." Naruto said after he swallowed. "She does have our best traits after all."

Hinata felt warm hearing the way her husband said that, 'our' best traits rather than 'my' best traits. It made her feel more connected to her daughter to know Akane took after her too, not just her father. "Remember that neither of us got promoted our first time."

"I remember, and so does she. She also knows the risks that come from being the Hokage's child in the exams." Naruto added. Because of Akane's connections to the current and previous hokages, there were certain potential problems for her in the chuunin exams. Enemies were likely to target her more in an effort to find out her strength and/or test their own, and it was much easier for her to get disqualified. If she seemed to know too much on what to expect or it seemed the challenges were reduced to allow advancement, she could be disqualified with there being little Naruto could do to stop it. Not to mention that Naruto needed council voting on any possibility of promotion to avoid possibility of favoritism on his part.

"You don't think the changes we made were too much do you?" Hinata asked, enjoying a piece of watermelon she kept from Shinbou. The blue-haired Kiri kunoichi seemed to like watermelon as much as Akane liked ramen.

Naruto shrugged. "We didn't really have much of a choice. We both know that a lot of my memories are imprinted in Akane's so there's a high chance she'd know exactly what to do if she took the exams just like I did. And if she went thru it like she knew exactly what to expect, unable to honestly explain why, she'd be taken out and I couldn't stop it. Hell, I'd be under suspicion of illegally prepping her and that could make others much more likely to question my judgment in future matters."

Hinata nodded. "I know, and I agree altering the exams is a good idea. Not just for Akane-chan, but to keep repeat takers guessing too. I just wonder if maybe we made it a bit much for her. Akane-chan's strong, but she's not invincible."

"True, but at least this time there won't be any Orochimaru sneaking around. And we have no reason to suspect an invasion, though we still will prepare for one if it happens. To be honest, I don't think anyone would be stupid enough to try. None of the other four villages would risk trying to turn their bijuu girls against the others like that, and none of the smaller villages have shown any signs of hostility towards us. Of course the possibility still remains so we will do what we have to."

Hinata smiled, once again impressed by how natural Naruto was for his job. When younger he had not always made the best decision nor seen all that needed to be seen, but maturity, love, and parenthood had done wonders for him and made him much more clear-headed and observant. He learned to be professional and patient to earn and maintain the respect and dignity of his position, to both his own ninja and foreign ones like the other kages. He learned how to identify risks better so he would be less likely to make mistakes on the job. And while his personality hadn't changed at all, people could now look at Naruto and see a good role model for others to follow.

"I guess you're right." Hinata said, leaning into her husband's warm body. "We've got nothing to worry about."

* * *

Elsewhere, a red-eyed figure sat in a dark room looking out a window at the moon, but looking at it with rage. "So, all nine have gathered in one place. This is perfect. A golden opportunity to get what I want from them."

"Shall we handle the hard part Your Majesty?" A violet-eyed figure asked.

"No, you and the others remain here as guards. I'll handle this part myself. I have a... personal reason to want to see this thru, and it wouldn't hurt to test out my tools for the job anyway."

"As you wish. I have no doubt your tools will strike fear in their hearts and render them all powerless."

The red-eyed one closed their eyes, as if thinking about something important. But the moment ended soon, and they stared at the only light source in the room beside a moonbeam, which was a large glass tube filled with water holding a sleeping deformed body hooked up to wires.

"I must succeed. I _will_ succeed. I will not be denied any further my place in this world."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: The Chuunin Exams Begin

It was here. The day of the first part of the chuunin exams. And as expected, Akane was walking confidently alongside her teammates to the Academy where the first test would be taken.

"Which room is it again?" Noburo asked.

"Form said Room 314, so third floor." Ichi answered. "And we should expect obstacles."

"Obstacles?" Noburo asked.

Akane nodded. "Yeah. Call it a hunch if you will, but my gut tells me that the test may include several small hurdles to get thru just to get to the test. Y'know, filter out the weakest participants before the whole thing even starts."

Ichi slowly nodded. "Makes sense. Over a hundred, maybe two hundred people will be here for this, and that's a lot of people to test out and weed thru. Smart thing would be to thin out the herd beforehand."

"You really think people who traveled all this way and earned recommendations from their villages would be done in by something as simple as say... a misplaced sign or something?" Noburo asked, not really convinced the threat his teammates perceived was real.

"Just keep your eyes open Noburo-kun." Akane told him.

In no time they reached the Academy, where many genin teams were entering to get to the test. The first thing they all noticed was that they didn't recognize anyone already there. Genin from all around the Elemental Nations were here, some looking older than others but all looking serious.

"They don't look so tough." Akane said to herself.

"Don't be so quick to underestimate them." Ichi warned.

"Who said I was underestimating them? I only said they _looked_ harmless, not they are. Oldest ninja trick in the book is to make yourself look like you can barely put up a decent fight." Akane replied.

"Come to think of it, we probably look pretty harmless to them too." Noburo noted.

"Good. We don't want to attract more attention than we already will." Akane mentioned. 'Since I'm the hokage's daughter, that alone will make people seek us out as targets when and if they find out. It's not impossible they would. Same with Shukaku-chan and Mushi-chan.'

They entered the school and saw more genin inside, looking like they were trying to figure out where to go. This confused the trio until they saw multiple signs telling the chuunin hopefuls were to go, leading in almost every direction possible. In the mess Akane finally saw someone she recognized, another genin team.

"Hey guys. I didn't know you were taking these too." Akane said friendly as she walked up to Team Four, last's years only surviving graduating team and acquaintances of herself. Team Four, like Naruto's generation's Team Ten, was a Yamanaka-Nara-Akimichi set-up, designed like most such teams to be a Capture-Interrogation-Assault team or CIA for short. So far none of Akane's classmates had seen this team in action so they weren't sure if they worked like the classic Ino-Shika-Cho dynamic or not.

The Yamanaka member was a blonde boy named Ryou. He had the classic blue eyes of his clan but his hair was a bit more yellow than platinum held in a low ponytail, and the bangs covered up the metal plate on his hitai-ate. He wore a blue shirt with a yellow-orange vest over it and red mesh armor on his forearms and upper arms. He also wore grey shorts with a black belt and black boots.

The Nara member was a tall black-haired boy named Satoshi. He could sometimes pass as Shikamaru's younger brother if it weren't for the fact Satoshi wore his pineapple hair at the base of his head rather than top and wore slightly brighter colors. He wore a dull yellow haori-like shirt with a red shirt underneath, his hitai-ate as a belt, and blue combat pants with black shoes that resembled slippers. And like most Nara men, he almost always looked like he'd rather be anywhere than where he actually was.

The Akimichi member was a pudgy but not really overweight redhead girl named Naomi. Her hair was held back in two ponytails and her hitai-ate was worn the same way Sakura wore hers. Like most Akimichi, she was heavier than most and had marks on her cheeks, hers looking like plus symbols. She wore a long-sleeve green shit with a blue vest over it, black shorts with light green flaps on the sides of her hips with the kanji for 'Cook' written on them both, mesh armor and leg warmers covered what her shorts didn't, and brown sandals.

"Hi Akane. I'm not that surprised to see you here." Naomi replied.

"Are you having a hard time finding the room to go to?" Noburo asked.

Satoshi shook his head then whispered. "Actually we know exactly where it is. But Yukio-sensei asked us to mislead anyone trying to find it quicker by following Konoha participants."

Ichi 'ahhed' in understanding. "Smart. Since we all took classes here, we're going to be a lot harder to fool, so foreign ninja would try and remora themselves to us so we would lead them to the correct room."

"Exactly. But since we've got about ten minutes to actually get there, we probably should stop and just go. Want us to show you?" Ryou asked.

Akane shook her head. "Nice try guys, but we'd be extra competition for you, and after hearing what you just said, following you sounds like a bad idea. After all, you said 'mislead anyone' not 'mislead foreign genin'."

Ryou grinned. "Clever, and you've got a point. Okay, good luck on your own. But seriously, the misdirections are not as easy to evade as you may think, even for natives like us."

"See you at the first part." Naomi said with a wave as they walked off.

"So where to? We have to get to the third floor so the nearest stairs right?" Noburo asked.

"Why are there so many on the first floor rather than trying to go up?" Ichi asked.

"Now that you mention it, you're right. There are a lot down here." The blue-haired boy commented, looking around. "And look at that door over there." He pointed to a seemingly ordinary door. "I could have sworn that's where a stairway was last time I was here. And it's not even correctly numbered."

"So that's how they're doing it." Akane whispered. "They have genjutsu all over the place, hiding ways to go, creating false ways to go, maybe more, all to confuse everyone. This is part of the test, find the true destination despite an enemy's attempt to mislead you."

Ichi nodded. "Makes sense." He then started walking towards the disguised stairs, but Noburo stopped him.

"Let's find another way." He said, confusing the dark-haired boy. "We can't use that without revealing a genjutsu's involved and that would increase competition for later. I'm sure we can find a way to get there without doing something that catches everyone's attentions."

Ichi nodded, and the trio walked down the hallway until they found a stairway that wasn't disguised. Unfortunately, there was border-tape across the front and a sign that said 'Wet Paint'. Akane's nose told her there indeed was real paint there, not something she enjoyed smelling, and she almost groaned. "How stupid do they think we are?" Using her chakra she started to walk on the walls, going upstairs without ever actually setting foot on the wet paint. "Why would we think stairs are the _only_ way to go up?" Noburo and Ichi immediately followed her example. In seconds they were on the second floor.

"Tricks are likely to be different now." Noburo said. "Look, all these doors are marked 300-something."

"And we're on the second floor?" Akane asked, feeling a sense of deja vu. 'Why do I get the feeling there's gonna be two guys trying to stop others from going any further?'

"Let's just focus on getting to the third floor." Ichi suggested, making his teammates nod.

The second floor wasn't as full as the first floor was, but there were still a good number of genin trying to find their destination and in a hurry now with time running out. No obvious traps were noted, except for the mislabeled doors, but clearly there was something being used here if several genin were here rather than their destination.

A random black-haired girl looked at them and seemed relieved, and approached them right away. "Finally, some Konoha nin. Can you please tell me where the stairs to go up are? I've been up and down this floor several times and still can't find any." Up close they could see this girl was from Iwa.

Team Three were too surprised by the girl's approach to really answer her right away. Even though relations between Konoha and Iwa were improving little by little, it was still strange to see 'the other side' acting so casual as if nothing was wrong. Not only that, the girl's appearance surprised them too. She looked their age but obviously was an early bloomer since she sported D-cup breasts covered by what looked like a purple sports bra and nothing else. She wore a bright fuchsia open jacket over her torso but it covered about as much as Anko's did. She also wore tan shorts and black boots, and for some reason she was adorned with gold accessories. Gold bracelets, gold earrings, a golden belt bucket, a gold chain wrapped around her torso from left shoulder to right hip, and even the metal plate on her hitai-ate was gold.

"Uhh... wait, what did you say?" Akane asked, trying to avoid checking to see if this girl's breasts were bigger than her own.

"I said there are no stairs up here. At least none that go up. And I've already checked for genjutsu. How do we get up?" She repeated.

"No stairs?" Noburo asked, looking down the hall to confirm or disprove the claim.

"Hey Mida, don't run off like that." Another Iwa genin came up, likely her teammate. This was a brown-haired boy wearing a teal shirt under a crimson vest that had his hitai-ate plate sewn in, with grey pants and black boots. He had a weapon pouch but no visible weapons or anything really obvious about him. As soon as he saw Akane, he frowned like she somehow offended him. "Red hair with red clothes. Are you the hokage's daughter?"

Akane got defensive. "What's it to you?"

"I'm going to get you in these exams. Mark my words. I _will_ get the chance to fight you myself and take you down hard."

"Not now Riku." The gold-wearing girl told him. "Besides, they could help us."

Riku now glared. "I'd rather not take this test at all then get there because _she_ led me there." He pointed at Akane when he referenced her, saying 'she' like the thought of Akane made him taste bile.

Akane did not like this stranger's attitude, nor his herbal scent. "Hey! What the hell did I do to you?"

Riku glared at her like it was an insult that she even had to ask that question. "Until we fight I have no business with you." He then walked away.

Akane sighed. "Wow, I wish Kyouko-chan and Fuzei-chan had told me a jerk like him would have been here."

The Iwa kunoichi perked up. "Wait, you know Kyouko Yotsuya and Fuzei Kusaka?"

"Yeah, they're my cousins. You know them?"

"Yeah, they're good friends of mine. You must be Akane Uzumaki. My name is Mida Sudachi." She then bowed politely. "Sorry about my teammate, he's got something on his mind and wants to vent. He made me promise not to say anything about it to you, but I will say be careful. I don't think that was an idle threat he gave you."

"Tell him I have no interest in fighting a guy who doesn't even have the guts to say why, and if he insists he should learn to pick his enemies better." The redhead replied.

"Akane-chan, we're running out of time." Noburo reminded her.

"Oh yeah. Well, if the stairs are gone, they're probably blocked with some kind of jutsu that moved the walls. In that case, the answer is obvious." She said before walking to a window in the hall and opening it. "Like I said, stairs aren't the only way up."

Ichi grinned. "Perfect."

Mida silently 'ahhed'. "Good idea. I better go tell my teammates. Bye, thanks, and sorry." She then left.

Team Three stepped out the window, using chakra to walk up the walls, and found an already open window to get back in thru. There were no wandering genin up here, and the rooms were clearly marked. Once they were up there, a puff of smoke surprised them, and Hanabi appeared with a smile. "Good, you three made it. You're almost there."

"You're not here to slow us down more are you?" Ichi asked, trying to repress a groan.

Hanabi shook her head. "Nope, my job here was to make sure you three came together. It's forbidden to start this test as a broken team. It shows terrible teamwork skills and a great sense of selfishness. But I knew that wouldn't be a problem for you three, and I'm glad to be proven right."

"You always like that Obasan." Akane commented.

"What woman doesn't?" Hanabi asked with a pleased smile. "Nonetheless, you three may enter the exam room, and try not to draw a lot of attention to yourselves. Don't get too comfortable either; you'll be assigned seats. And best of luck to all of you. You're going to need it." With that, Hanabi disappeared.

Even though they were in a hurry and running out of time, Akane, Noburo, and Ichi still double-checked to ensure the room labeled 314 was indeed the correct one, and when they felt reassured, they opened it and walked in.

Room 314 was one of the larger rooms in Konoha's academy, big enough to seat up to 200 people when multiple classes needed to be taught something all at once. Right now it looked almost full, with some of the waiting genin looking at the newcomers when they heard the door open. They saw no one familiar, until...

'Okaa-san?' Akane asked herself, seeing Hinata in her chuunin garb complete with vest seated against a wall holdinga clipboard. Hinata looked over and smiled at her daughter, but gave no other physical indication that Akane was significant to her so the others in the room wouldn't feel a need to keep an eye on Akane here.

Another posted chuunin approached them. "Glad to see you made it. I'll assign you your seats so please pay attention and go sit down."

"Udon-sensei?" Akane asked, well familiar with the guy like she was with Konohamaru and Moegi, Naruto's most loyal supporters, and he had worked at the Academy as a math teacher. Now eighteen, Udon wore more adult-appropriate glasses and his outfit was like a grey version of Iruka's. His hair had gained a little length now and he no longer suffered from a chronic running nose. He was still a chuunin but only because his job didn't give him a lot of time to try out for jounin, but he did intend to when he had a break. He had no intentions of staying the weak link in the Konohamaru Corps.

"Hi Akane-chan. Best of luck. Make Boss proud." He said with a smile as he looked over his list of available seats, making sure they weren't too close together but not so far apart interaction was impossible. "Okay, you three will be in seats 27, 38, and 46. That's near the front left side. You better get there quick before the proctor shows up."

The trio nodded and headed to their seats. Along the way Akane subtly told Hinata 'hi' and continued past her, sitting in seat 38 while Noburo chose 27 and Ichi chose 46. The seats were arranged in rows of ten with the lower numbers on the inside, so this put them somewhat close to the ten chuunin seated against the wall with clipboards. The two seats next to Akane were full, but only one of them was someone Akane knew.

"Yugiko-chan? Great, I'm stuck next to you for the rest of the hour." Akane mumbled as she sat down.

"At least I'll get a higher score than you, baka-kitsune." The reborn nibi commented.

"Yeah right. You've got more boobs than brains ero-neko." The reborn kyuubi replied. The two glared at each other, but then smiled. "Seriously though, good luck cousin."

"You too old friend." Yugiko replied. Even though she and Akane tended to play hostile around each other, they still were family and cared for each other.

"You two okay?" The person on Akane's other side asked. He was a yellow-eyed boy with blue-tinted black hair like Hinata's, but his was shaggy like a longer version of Kiba's style. He wore a red short-sleeve shirt over a black long-sleeve shirt and blue pants, and according to his hitai-ate he was from Iwa.

'Do I have some kind of Iwa nin magnet on me today or something?' Akane asked herself. "We're fine. That's just how we chat with each other."

"Okay, as long as there's no real hostility between you. I don't like hostility. Only leads to more problems." The Iwa boy told her.

"Then why on earth did you become a shinobi Mr. Sensitivity?" Yugiko asked.

"I enjoy a good fight. As long as the negative attitude stays in the fight. And the name's Hibuki. Hibuki Tsubasa."

"Sounds kinda girly to me." Yugiko said.

Hibuki smiled. "Rest assured, I'm anything but girly."

A door near the front of the room opened, and in walked a man wearing a black trenchcoat and a bandanna, his face significantly scarred. Akane recognized him right away; he was Ibiki Morino, the man she liked to call Scarface, and he was one of the few people in Konoha who knew her true origins.

"Alright you little piss-ants, sit down and pay attention." Ibiki said when he got in position, front of the room and center, where he could see everyone and they could see him. "My name is Ibiki Morino, and for the next hour I am your worst nightmare and you are my bitches. Your fates are in my hands and I can crush you just for the pleasure of it if I want to. So you better not make me mad, you got it?"

Akane noticed his gaze lingered on her for a second when he said that, making her laugh in her head. She knew deep down Ibiki was concerned she'd do something like Naruto did back in his own chuunin exams and undermine the mood he was trying to set. Well he was about to find out if she would.

"For those of you taking this for the first time, I will explain to you the nature of these tests." Ibiki continued. "The Chuunin Exams, as a whole, are designed to test the strength, talent, cleverness, insight, and maturity of those deemed fit to participate. The entire test is divided into three major parts, each testing one particular aspect more than others, but each part here will test you in more ways than one, and often those smaller tests will have more say over your continued participation than the primary one. So don't get too comfortable here and assume all you need is one victory to keep going."

"None of that matters however if you can't pass this test, commonly referred to as the First Round of the exams. You could say this is the easy part, and compared to the parts that follow it is, but this is no walk in the park. Here the threat of elimination is harsher and the standards are lower. I guarantee that several of you will be forced out before the hour's up. Think you have what it takes to survive?"

No one challenged him. They didn't come this far just to give up before it even started.

"Good. Now, before I explain the rules of this portion, there's someone who'd like to speak to you all first." Ibiki added, then stepped back.

The door opened again, and to everyone's surprise in walked Naruto wearing his hokage robes and hat, looking quite dignified and content. Many genin gasped to actually see him want to speak to them.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to Konoha. As you can tell, I am Naruto Uzumaki, Rokudaime Hokage. Because you all came a long way, I felt I'd make it worth your while to speak to you all at least once. Sadly, many of you will not make it to the end of these test. I'm not going to lie, even though you all have potential to reach it to the final test, that will not be enough. Many of you will not make it that far and will have to take this test again later."

'No way that's happening to me.' Several genin thought, as did Akane.

"Do not make the mistake of assuming this can not happen to you." Naruto continued as if reading their minds. "I knew several people when I was your age who foolishly thought defeat was something that only happened to other people. I myself went in mostly with a refusal to give up, and while that got me far it didn't get me to my goal. It took me years to reach chuunin. Success, like wealth, doesn't come simply because you want it to, so keep that in mind."

"Here we will be testing for many things in many ways. Just getting here was a test itself as you all already knew, and mini-tests like this will be more common. Determination, pride, and power will not be enough to get you to the final test, and we are looking for more in a chuunin than just the ability to succeed. To be a chuunin requires so much more, and you will find out what that means as you progress in the test. Part of the test itself is learning what it means to advance in rank."

As expected, there were more than a couple confused looks to that statement, so Naruto continued. "I imagine that quite a few of you when asked what it means to become chuunin, your answers would probably be along the lines of 'better pay, more exciting missions, more techniques to learn, and higher authority'. You are wrong. Those are merely the perks that come with being chuunin, they are not why one should want to be chuunin in the first place. To be chuunin means to be responsible for others and able to handle it. Chuunins are often needed to lead missions and do what the jounin are not available to do. Chuunins are meant to serve their village both within and without, to be ready and willing at a moment's notice to serve their kage, not themselves. The perks are merely your reward for a job well done as well as a means to ensure you can keep doing well in the future. If those perks are the only reason you're here, do yourself and us a favor and walk out this room right now."

Naruto paused and looked over the room as if to challenge anyone to defy him or see if anyone would actually leave. When he saw no one move, he grinned warmly. "Good, I'm glad to see that no one is greedy. Best of luck on the exams. Keep your egos in check and your eyes open. If you do, you all will stand a good chance at becoming chuunin. With that, I'll leave you to your test. Make your villages proud, and Ibiki, you know what to do." Naruto finished and left the room.

* * *

_Now it's a safe time to give the bios on other genin teams for the next few chapters. Remember to check my profile to links of pics of OCs if you want._

Team Four

-Ryou Yamanaka

Appearance: Blonde hair, blue eyes, blue shirt, mesh armor on arms, yellow-orange vest, grey shorts, black boots

Family: Yamanaka clan, mother, father, older sister

Likes: Puzzles, swimming, sandwiches, long walks, tennis

Dislikes: Karaoke, gardening, sarcastic comments, seafood, rain

Hobbies: Crosswords, drawing

Dreams: Create more techniques for clan

-Satoshi Nara

Appearance: Black hair, black eyes, dull yellow shirt with blue and green at end of sleeves, red undershirt, blue pants, black shoes

Family: Nara Clan, mother, father, no siblings

Likes: Card games, sleeping, stargazing, reading, movies

Dislikes: Heavy lifting, insomnia, being surrounded, dairy products, explosives

Hobbies: Astronomy, gambling

Dreams: Live a long life and not die young

-Naomi Akimichi

Appearance: Red-orange hair, green eyes, plus marks on cheeks, green blouse, green vest, black shorts with green flaps on sides, mesh armor under shorts, orange leg warmers, brown sandals

Family: Akimichi clan, mother, father, little brother

Likes: Food in general, cute animals, jokes, high places, origami

Dislikes: Diets, insects, coffee, being wet, perfume

Hobbies: Cooking, target practice

Dreams: Be a great ninja and chef

-Yukio Kobanaga (Sensei of team)

Appearance: Brown hair, brown eyes, short beard with no mustache, green vest, green shirt, blue pants

Family: Mother, father, wife, no siblings or children

Likes: Donuts, horses, precious stones, floral scents, women singing

Dislikes: Bleeding, food with nuts, sea travel, snow, rituals

Hobbies: Travel, rock collecting

Dreams: See as much as he can in his life


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Chuunin Exams Test One

Ibiki stood before the mass of waiting genin, arms crossed and eyes hard as steel. "Here's how the first test works. You all will be given a test on paper, consisting of several questions you must answer."

"A paper test?" A Kusa genin asked.

"What did you think you were going to do here? A battle royal in a classroom?" Ibiki replied. "You've be able to fight later so save it. Here, we're looking for brains, not brawn. A good chuunin isn't a berserker ninja, but a leader, and a dumb leader is one no one follows."

"And how will this determine if we're good leaders or not?" An Ame nin asked.

"I'm glad you asked. The answer is quite simple." Ibiki answered, pausing for dramatic effect. "But you'll have to wait until the end of the test to find out. So listen to how this works and don't interrupt me again."

Everyone remained silent and Ibiki cleared his throat. "Now just to be certain no one can claim they misunderstood, I have the rules you must follow during the exam written down on the board behind me." A drape over the blackboard was pulled up, revealing a set of instructions written in advance. His assistants started to give out the tests, being sure to place them face down rather than hand them directly to the genins. "Do not turn your tests over until I say you may begin." That stopped several hands. "Also no fighting. If anyone here does, the assistant proctors will subdue you with extreme force, and the fighter _and his entire team_ will be failed immediately."

"Now, this test works differently than the way normal ones work. Instead of starting out at zero points and getting points for each correct answer, you all will start out with a perfect score." He saw many confused faces. "There are ten questions here, each worth a single point. If for example you were to get a question wrong, you are subtracted points for each wrong answer. Getting an answer correct only prevents you from losing a point; it will not regain a lost one. So like most tests, the first rule is you need to correctly fill out as many questions as possible."

'This feels familiar.' Akane thought.

"The second rule is this is a team-test, meaning your score is also affected by the scores of your teammates. A team only passes if the combined scores of its members meet a passing number. So no matter what score you get individually, if your teammates get low scores you could still fail with them. On missions team succeed or fail as a whole, and here that is no different."

Some genin were giving their teammates assorted looks, from 'Good luck' to 'You better get a good grade or so help me...'

"As you can tell we'll set up the seating arrangements here to ensure that members of teams would not be able to interact directly, thus making cheating difficult. Even so, this brings me to the third and most important rule. Anyone who is caught cheating will be automatically deducted two points from their score. If you can't do the math, then anyone who's careless enough to get caught cheating five times goes from a score of ten to zero and thus automatically fails. This is why we do a subtraction grading method. Also, those that fail will be removed from the room along with their teammates."

"What?" Several genin asked in horror/disbelief.

"Remember what I said earlier, this is a team-test. Your individual scores affect the team's passing grade as a whole, and if someone gets a score of zero the entire team will instantly fail." Ibiki told them.

A male ninja from Kumo rose his hand. "So that means the minimum passing score for a team is 21, since the situation you just described can get a team score of at best 20?"

'The math does check out. And this still feels very familiar.' Akane thought.

Ibiki frowned at the Kumo ninja. "Did I give you permission to ask questions?" The genin lowered his hand and tried not to look sheepish. "Now then, these are the standard rules for this test. This year however, we are adding a few new ones. The fourth rule is every question must be answered. If we see any blank questions on your tests at the end, that's an automatic fail no matter what. Even a wrong answer is better than no answer."

'Okay, now it feels different.' Akane told herself, starting to feel a bit unnerved.

Ibiki grinned seeing Naruto's adoptive daughter's reaction. Years of experience in his line of work let him know how to recognize the signs of discomfort. 'I created that rule specifically because of your old man girl. No way I'm going to allow another one to pass without answering a single question.' "The fifth rule is no bathroom breaks. You should have thought of that before you came in here." 'That Suna kid years ago really caught us off-guard with that one, but not this time.'

"The test will last one hour, though at five minutes before the end of the hour we will call for a pencils down and give you one last part of it. Those that finish early should just turn your papers back over and quietly wait for that time. With that said and done, you may begin... now." Ibiki concluded.

The genin grabbed their pencils and turned over their tests, ready to get thru this as quickly as possible.

* * *

"You think your little speech is going to make a difference?" Sakura curiously asked Naruto as she and he lounged in a lobby in the academy. He was waiting to hear how the test went and she was mostly keeping him company since Hinata was busy.

She wasn't the only one. Kakashi, Kurenai with her son Sorata, and Tsunade were there with them, all relaxing for the time being.

"I can only hope so, though I mostly did that so the rejected ones could at least feel like they could say they did one thing worth remembering other than what _not_ to do." Naruto told his old teammate.

"That's often the best lesson to learn." Kurenai replied.

"You think the new rules will make a difference here?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto shrugged. "That's what we're going to find out."

"What exactly did you change?" Sakura curiously asked.

"Well for starters, remember the whole tenth question thing?" Naruto asked, and Sakura nodded. "This time it's going to be a little bit different."

* * *

'Okay, question one, what is the rarest kekkei genkai known to still exist in the Elemental Nations? Wait, how the heck am I supposed to know that? The only kekkei genkai's I know are in Konoha.' Akane thought when she started the test. 'I should probably come back to that one. Question two, if a ninja running twenty mph throws a kunai with the force of 10 mph, what's the farthest distance a target can be while still within hit-range from the origin point of the throw? Wait, that's too advanced for a genin to know. What kind of test is this?'

Other genin were reacting similarly, wondering if this was some kind of joke. The bolder ones started trying to cheat, but most of them were doing it in haste and already losing points.

'C'mon, there has to be a question here I can answer right away.' Akane told herself, looking over the rest. 'These... it's almost like only someone who already is a chuunin should be able to answer these. Why give us these types then?' Then something else really caught her attention. 'Wait, there are ten questions written down here? I... my gut tells me there was supposed to be only nine and then an oral question, not this.'

She focused on the last question on the test. 'How many official kages have there been, counting present day kages but not unofficial kages like the leaders of the smaller hidden villages or substitute kages? Okay, now this one I can answer, six hokages, five kazekages, four tsuchikages, five raikages, and five mizukages, that makes twenty-five total.' She then wrote down that answer. 'Okay, if I can get that one I should be able to get the others too.'

Five minutes later, Akane had yet to come up with another answer on her own. Or at least any she felt safe giving.

In her peripheral vision, Akane could see some test-takers already writing down some answers and some proctors taking off points. What got her attention the most was that Hinata wasn't using her byakugan to monitor them. 'Wait, if she's here to ensure no one's cheating, then wouldn't her doujutsu make it easier and more effective for her? Why would Okaa-san not use it?' She paused her train of thought for a moment. 'Then again, why is she the only byakugan-user in the group of proctors? If they really were trying to catch any and all cheaters, wouldn't using only Hyuuga be the best way to do so? It's almost like they're...'

Akane's eyes widened and she discreetly looked around herself, trying to see if her hunch was right. To her right, Yugiko was looking at a mouse-shaped ball of ink that changed shape to look like a series of hiragana before scurrying underneath her to under other desks. To her left, Hibuki had a string tied to his right hand that trailed under desks too, likely connecting him to another and feeding him information. So far it looked like no one had noticed them cheating, or at least no one had disqualified them for it yet.

'That must be it. Somehow, I have to cheat without getting caught like they are. But how? Clones would be too obvious and I'm not as good at genjutsu as kitsune legends say I would be.' Akane asked herself.

Fortunately for her, help was about to be provided.

Ichi was already filling out several of the questions without cheating thanks to his high IQ, and his quick observations of the others allowed him to come to the same conclusion Akane did. 'The test isn't about if we can figure out the answers, but how we get the answers. My teammates may have a hard time getting them on their own, so I may have to help give them the answers. But how?' Knowing his flares were out of the question, most of his twilight techniques were useless. But he did have a method he could use and his team had prepared for. "Lightning Style Static Code Transfer Jutsu." He whispered doing two quick hand signs under his desk then placed his left hand over his ear.

Hidden under their hair, Team Three had small clips on their hitai-ates beside their left ears, allowing them to be connected to Ichi specifically for this jutsu. This jutsu allowed Ichi to send the others messages in morse code secretly, so now he could give them the answers. At least the ones he could figure out.

Akane and Noburo felt the attention-getting pulse and immediately focused on the incoming message, which they felt as a series of harmless static shocks.

Throughout the room, others were using their own methods of cheating. Shukaku was using the third eye jutsu to oversee the tests, Kyouko in a 'monkey see monkey do' manner aped the pencil movements of the person in front of her, and Kirako was using small ink creations to spy on the other tests, which were colored to blend in with the surrounding to avoid being noticed. Tatsu used his insects to find answers for himself and his teammates, Shiba had her puppy Mina on top her head looking at other tests and barking the answers to her, and Ryou was using his version of the Yamanaka jutsus to obtain the answers too. Sayo was even using her sharingan to copy pencil movements like Kyouko was doing now and Sasuke had done years ago.

Hinata watched her daughter start writing down more and lightly smiled. 'Looks like she's gotten the hang of this. I just hope she can handle the last part.'

* * *

Time went by, half a dozen genin and their teams were kicked out, and half fifty-five minutes a buzzer went off, making everyone flinch for a moment. "Time's up everyone. Pencils down now." Ibiki called out. After everyone did as told he looked at Hinata. "Anyone with unfinished tests?" Hinata activated her byakugan, then pointed out that four genin still had blank answers. "All of you just listed, leave this room. You fail. And take your teammates with you. Those that succeed as teams fail as teams."

After the rejects were forced out, Ibiki looked over those that remained. "Okay everyone, what I'm about to give you is the final part of the test, worth half the overall grade. Meaning you fail this, you fail the entire thing. And if you fail this, you will be forced to resign as a ninja for the rest of your life."

"What?" Virtually every genin shouted. "You can't do that!"

"Oh yes I can." Ibiki calmly countered, not fazed one bit by the outburst. "Didn't I say when this whole thing started that your fates were in my hands? Well being proctor gives me certain privileges here, and if I wish to do this then it's my right. Fortunately, I'm not heartless so there will be a failsafe for you all. Listen carefully, for I hate repeating myself."

Everyone listened in and he continued. "Here's a scenario. You and your teammates are on a mission to assassinate a man who's in league with an enemy village and about to give them information that will allow them to severely cripple your own. Teammate A says they heard that the target is less than an hour from reaching the village, but Teammate B heard that if the target fails to reach the enemy village by a certain time the leader of that village will kill several hostages. Naturally you have two choices, go after the target or try to get to the hostages. The final question of this test is what do you do?"

"As you can see there are three doors in this room. One to my left, one to my right, and the one you used to get here. These doors will represent your answer to this question." Ibiki told them. "The door at my left is for those that choose to go after the target first. The door to my right is for those that choose to go and help the hostages first. The last door however is for those that choose not to answer the question."

"_Not_ answer the question?" Shukaku asked.

"Yes. I said that those that got this question wrong would be forfeiting their careers. For those of you not willing to take that risk and would rather take this test again later, you may save yourself by choosing the third door. In doing so, you will withdraw from the exams and be sent home, but free to remain ninja and try again later. Everyone who chooses one of the first two doors gets the chance to advance in the test, but risks their entire ninja career in the process."

"Isn't that a bit extreme?" Mida asked.

"Ninja work is extreme girl. Sometimes crap happens and you end up losing your job for it. Why should this exam be any different?" The T&I director replied. "You all heard the question, now get together with your team to answer. You have one minute to come to a conclusion and choose a door. Your minute begins... now!"

Akane, Noburo, and Ichi quickly got together in a huddle. "Anyone got a quick answer here?" Akane asked.

"I say we choose the left door." Ichi whispered. "In the scenario we can keep the target from getting to the village then sneak in and see about the hostages before the person he was supposed to meet realizes he wasn't coming."

"But if we go for the hostages first, we'd have more time to help them." Noburo countered. 'Hostages are always a priority.'

"True, but Scarface never said that they were on our side. For all we know they could be from a second enemy village and eliminating them would work in our favor." Akane pointed out. "I've gotta agree with Ichi-kun on this, go for the target per mission guidelines and then if we have time see if the hostages can or should be assisted."

"Are you certain enough to risk your entire ninja career on it?" Noburo asked.

Akane leaned in closer and whispered more quietly. "Scarface is bluffing. Listen, I know the guy, and he doesn't have the authority he's claiming. But no one else knows that and he's using that to intimidate them. That's his specialty."

"Thirty seconds left." Ibiki told everyone. A few teams had already approached a door by now.

"Right now he's trying to make us feel pressured to make a decision." Akane added.

"It's working." Noburo stated.

"So what will we choose?" Ichi asked.

"You guys are certain that's the right choice?" Noburo asked. Akane and Ichi nodded. "Fine, I'll trust your judgment, but you both owe me if you're wrong."

Team Three approached the left door, where they saw several of their friends already gathered, making them feel better about the choice. Ibiki called for time and all the genin were by on of the selected doors. The majority of them were by the first two doors divided evenly, 54 genin at each door with the remaining amount by the third door, meaning they were choosing to withdraw at this point.

"If anyone wants to change their minds, I will give you all this one chance to do so." Ibiki added, facing primarily the ones risking their advancement. He saw some of them were doubting themselves, making him smile. This was all part of his strategy, giving them one last chance to escape and thus make them doubt themselves, their decision, and their resolve. And with that done, the weak ones would crumble. "Remember, if you get it wrong, your entire career ends today." He added for extra emphasis.

Acting on impulse, Akane came forward surprising everyone. "You think a few scare tactics are enough to make any of us quit? After all we did just to get here, you think your little wordplay is enough to make run off with our tails between our legs? Fat chance Scarface. I've faced bigger threats than you and I'm not going to start doubting myself now. I don't care even if you do fail me and revoke my license, I'm not going to let one man stand between me and my goal. I wouldn't be worthy of chuunin if I did."

After Akane's little outburst, most of the uncertain genin found themselves reminded of why they came here in the first place. In fact one team that had chosen to take the safe way out changed their minds and decided to risk everything and join the crowd Akane's team was in.

On the outside Ibiki looked as he always did, but on the inside he was grimacing. 'Dammit, once again an Uzumaki undermines me here and rebuilds the resolves I was chipping away at. If Hokage-sama's next kid takes the chuunin exams here I'm going to insist on someone else filling this role.'

At the same time, Hinata was trying to not laugh. 'Boy does this bring back memories. I'm so glad I didn't miss this. I sure hope Naruto is watching this with the hokage crystal ball.'

He was, and he was getting a good laugh out of what he saw. Meanwhile Sorata was looking at his mother telling her how cool Akane was. Kurenai humored her son by nodding and agreeing.

"Fine then, everyone now open your door and go thru it. For those of you that pass, you'll wish you hadn't. Even you, Little Miss Loudmouth. Good luck punks, you're going to need it in spades." Ibiki finished.

With that, the doors opened as if automatically, and all the genin went thru them single file. As they moved, Akane saw all her friends and cousins were in this group, making her feel better about this choice. When they were all through the doors closed and they were in another room, one a bit more cramped then the last one.

From out of the shadows Dansue emerged, arms crossed and looking over them all. She saw Ichi and his team and smiled, seeing they were surprised to see her here. "Congratulations, you all passed the first test."

"What do you mean? Were they graded that quickly?" Sayo asked.

Dansue shook her head. "Surely you didn't think we actually planned to grade those stupid things? This isn't a test like you took back in school, this one's unlike any other you've ever experienced. For those of you that haven't already figured it out, the first test was meant to see how well your team can gather information without being caught. Information is very important to doing a job successfully, often more important than jutsu skills. Trust me, I speak from experience. It doesn't matter how strong you are, if you were misinformed the situation can easily turn bad for you."

Ichi nodded, understanding exactly what she was getting at.

"For a mission to succeed, the ninja on them must know what they're supposed to do." Dansue continued. "Part of being ranked higher than genin is having the responsibility to acquire the right information and acting accordingly. Of course, most of the time information won't simply be handed to you so you have to seek it out. You have to 'cheat' so to speak, and sloppy cheaters fail the tests, meaning ninja who are careless get noticed and compromise the entire mission. This entire exam is like one large simulated mission determined to see how you perform your duties without a sensei there to hold your hand or pick up the slack."

"The test you just took simulated the part of a mission where you had to scope out for data before you moved in to act. The best ninja are the ones who can do it with the most stealth, which is why you were given a test that none of you could have passed without some degree of cheating, either your own or your teammates. But of course, in order to acquire information you needed a source. To do so, we planted one extra team in the room disguised as genin to write down the answers and allow you all to have a source to cheat off of if you could figure out how to do so and transfer it to your teammates without being caught too many times. Those that lasted until the final question were the ones who could do it the best."

"So why was the last question needed then?" Masa asked.

Dansue smirked and held her right hand up index finger extended to emphasize her next point. "Gathering information is only part of your responsibility. The other part is knowing what to do with it. For that, you were tested in two ways. First, we emphasized that here teams passed or failed as a whole, and no one with an unfinished test would pass. That meant that if you were incapable of cheating without getting caught, you were dependent on your teammates to do it for you and give you the information so your test wouldn't drag them down. What if they hadn't? What if they decided you were on your own? Such disregard is highly unprofessional and will only jeopardize the team and mission. Teamwork is more than just having the same goal to achieve, it's about unity and trust among the members, and if that's lacking then you're just three people assigned to the same task at the same time."

Comprehension dawned on every genin's face as they understood what the silver-haired woman was explaining, and she continued. "The final question was the second way to test what you do with information. Information is vital, but sometimes it is misleading and confusing, and leads to risky choices. The final question described a scenario where information gave you a choice where you knew both choices had risks involved. The wise thing to do was pick the choice with the least risk involved. By coming into this room, you all chose the correct answer, and can take the second test in these exams."

"So does that mean the other choices were wrong?" Misao curiously asked.

"I wouldn't say wrong, more misguided." Dansue replied. "The alternative choice might have sounded like the more noble one, but it would mean risking mission failure. A ninja's career lives or dies based on success and failure, and the sad truth is your village and kage are often more concerned about that part of the mission than any other part. By coming to this room, you showed you weren't going to forsake the mission objective just because something else came up. And that's why you passed."

A second door opened, leading to a hallway. "Now then, it's time for the second part of the exam."

* * *

Team Suna

-Shukaku Subaku

Appearance: Sand-colored hair, blue eyes with dark rings around them like raccoon mask, brown long-sleeved shirt with kanji for Love on left shoulder, vest, faded blue pants with six sealing scrolls clasped to hips, closed toed sandals

Family: Gaara and Matsuri as parents, sister, Temari and Kankuro as aunt and uncle

Likes: Deserts, cookies, nights, cactus juice, classical music

Dislikes: Mud, spicy food, loud noises, crowded places, tea

Hobbies: Growing cacti, clay sculpting

Dreams: Become Kazekage

-Mushi Subaku

Appearance: Purple hair held in two tuffs, red eyes, girdle-like top,white jacket, pink backpack, white skirt with black shorts underneath and kanji for Heaven on front, plated armor garb on forearms and shins, open toed sandals

Family: Gaara and Matsuri as parents, sister, Temari and Kankuro as aunt and uncle

Likes: Sweets, high places, barbecued food, dance music, festivals

Dislikes: Bullies, rich snobs, onions, being wet, machines

Hobbies: Gardening, flying

Dreams: Glorify Suna and make it a better place to live

-Tanto Mantono

Appearance: Orange hair, green eyes, freckled face, grey cloak with black detachable hood and mesh mask, puppet bundle on back attacked to lower torso guard, brown sandals

Family: Mother, younger sister

Likes: Sports, horror movies, poultry, masks, fireworks

Dislikes: Shopping, cheese, public bathing, kabuki plays, comments about his appearance

Hobbies: Puppet-making, basketball

Dreams: Create the perfect puppet

-Sari (Sensei of team)

Appearance: Brown hair, brown eyes, hitai-ate worn as bandanna, pink long-sleeved shirt, tan vest, brown skirt, mesh armor on thighs, grey shoes

Family: Mother, father, no siblings

Likes: Gaara, sunsets, muffins, philosophy, camels

Dislikes: Birds, being sick, eggplant, being cold, the ocean

Hobbies: Cooking, drawing

Dreams: Accomplish something worth being remembering for


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Chuunin Exams Test Two

Dansue lead 57 genin out of the academy to the outskirts of Konoha. None of the genin knew where they were going, but they hoped this time they'd do something physical and fun. Along the way there were anbu escorting them and counting them all to see how many were going to take part in this while a couple were discussing something private with Dansue.

Akane looked over the crowd to see if she could all who she could recognize. 'I can see Shiba-chan's team, Tatsu-kun's team, and... all my cousins. This is going to be interesting if we all have to fight each other later on. Wouldn't it be weird if me and my cousins were the only ones to make it to the finals? Somehow I doubt that though.'

Dansue eventually stopped at a fenced off area southwest of Konoha out of view of the village. The trees inside were gigantic but different from the normal trees around Konoha, and there was a low mist covering the ground making it impossible to see the soil and roots of the trees. Vines and moss abundantly covered the trees and a strange smell came from the area, making several genin cover their noses.

'What the heck is this place?' Akane asked herself, covering her nose to keep the scent out. 'I remember hearing Anko-san say the Forest of Death was where this part was usually held. She even showed me the forest before and this isn't it. I don't remember ever seeing this place before.'

What Akane didn't realize was that Konoha, like all the major hidden villages, rotated the training grounds used for the second portion of the chuunin exams. They didn't use the same training ground over and over again, but instead used a variety to ensure the test never got too easy. Konoha had five, numbered 41 thru 45, each with their own intimidating nicknames.

"Consider yourself lucky everyone, since you have the pleasure of experiencing Training Ground 43, AKA the Swamp of Nightmares, and like most of the forests around Konoha, this was created long ago by the Shodai Hokage. However, this section was founded on murky ground that couldn't be converted into standard forest, thus a swamp was created." Dansue told the crowd. "This is unlike any terrain any of you have likely experienced. Here you'll face obstacles that will make you afraid to sleep at night. And that's not counting the rival teams you'll have to face in this challenge."

"Did you know there was a swamp here?" Noburo whispered to Akane who shook her head.

"Everyone, due to a minor complication we're going to let you take a small break while we settle the issue." Dansue told everyone. "Feel free to do as you wish as long as there's no fighting and no one leaves this spot. Anyone who does forfeits the exams." She and a few anbu left the area while several remained to keep an eye on the genin.

"Any idea what the issue is?" Both boys asked Akane.

She shrugged. "No idea. For all I know it's the fact me and my cousins are here, or the fact we have genin from Iwa here for a change. Who knows?"

"You really think you and your cousins could be the reason?" Noburo asked.

"The nine of us in one place told to fight? No, what could possibly go wrong and require precautions for that?" Akane sarcastically replied, rolling her eyes as she finished.

"Speaking of which..." Ichi said, looking over her shoulder. Akane noticed and turned to see Kyouko and Fuzei come up to her with their teammate. He was a boy about Noburo's height with long brown hair wearing a metal-plated red vest over a green tank top and yellow two bracelets on each arm. His expression wasn't exactly unfriendly, yet he didn't look like he wanted to chat either.

"Hi Kyouko-chan, Fuzei-chan." Akane greeted, hoping to avoid any awkwardness in not knowing the boy's name.

"Hi Akane-chan. We just thought that while we've got some free time we'd warn you someone from our village wants to fight you directly." Kyouko greeted.

"A little late. I already ran into him on the way here." The redhead replied.

"Really? Did he do anything?" Fuzei asked.

Akane shook her head. "Except point out he's got a bug up his butt, nothing." Suddenly Kyouko and Fuzei started laughing, and even their teammate apparently found it funny. "What's so funny?"

"We're honor-bound not to talk about it, but if you ever do face him you'll see why." The boy said. "But if these girls have such high praise of you, I doubt you'll be in any danger."

"Thank you." She said.

"Well, we said what we had to. We should probably think up how to handle this lousy swamp Kyouko, Isato." Fuzei said.

"What, you afraid of a little swamp?" Akane teased.

Fuzei frowned back. "Just keep in mind Akane that out of all of us, Shinbou and Misao are the ones with an advantage in such terrain."

"Good point." The fox girl said, thinking of the turtle and slug as her monkey and dolphin-horse cousins walked away.

After ten minutes Dansue returned and went back to her original post. "Ok, now that that's cleared, listen up everyone, I'm about to tell you how this part of the exams will work." She paused, waiting to ensure she had the crowd's complete attention. "In the center of this swamp is a hut. A simple regular inconspicuous hut. The goal of this test is to reach that hut within a certain time limit. However, it is not as easy as it sounds."

"Now, normally a challenge is issued that requires an even number of teams to ideally work. As there are nineteen genin teams here I see, that will not work. And since nineteen is a prime number, we can't resort to a challenge that divides you in three or any other integer either. Therefore, we must resort to our failsafe method, which has never been needed until now."

One Anbu handed her a small plain wooden box the size of a rice cooker with a lock on the lid. "This is your key to passing this exam. There are 100 of these boxes in the swamp that have recently been planted by Hokage-sama's clones." She showed all sides of the box as she spoke to let them see the lack of extra detailing. "You need one of them to complete this test. However, 90 of these boxes are in fact fakes and will be of no use to you. Your objective is to obtain one of the genuine ones and get to the hut before time runs out."

"For your convenience, I will tell you the difference between a genuine and fake. A fake box has a seal inscribed on the inside that will cause the box to self-destruct within a preset time, varying from 24, 48, or 72 hours. Also bringing a fake within a certain distance of the hut will trigger an automatic destruction. Only the genuine boxes will not self-destruct under any terms, though they are vulnerable to being damaged under normal terms. Here you must rely on all your skills to find the proper boxes amongst the fakes and surroundings, and once you find them protect them from any potential thieves who _will_ be after them. And while you're doing that, you must defend yourself from the dangers of the swamp and live off the land. Many things in the swamp are edible and the water is safe to drink. But there are dangerous things _everywhere_ so be on alert."

"Now that you understand what you must do, I'll explain the rules you must follow in this exam." Dansue added, putting away the box. "One, you absolutely cannot open the boxes before you reach the hut, not even the fake ones. Anyone who tries will automatically be disqualified. You all will be given a key in the beginning that will open any box, but you are _not_ to use it until you get inside the tower. Repeat, do _not_ open any box until you get inside the hut. Two, once you start this test you cannot quit. If you think you cannot handle this, back out now while you still can. If you change your mind in the middle of this test, you'll have no choice but to wait until the deadline has passed. Three, no contact with anyone or anything outside the swamp. Doing so will result in disqualification. Four, fighting is pretty much anything goes so killing and stealing is allowed. And finally, try not to die."

'You make it sound so easy.' Several genin mentally complained about that last part.

"We will give you all a ten minute break to give you all a chance to go over your provisions and read some forms." Dansue informed them as several anbu started coming towards them with papers. "This is just a formality. By signing this you agree that you were informed of the risks and dangers involved here and that if you die or receive permanent injuries the Leaf will not be held responsible for it."

"Is that really an issue?" Yugiko asked.

"Yes it is. Long ago in the early years of the chuunin exams, during a time when they were being held in Suna, one team of Kiri nin almost died of dehydration and held Suna responsible, saying the village neglected to inform them of how to survive in the desert. Suna said that wasn't their responsibility and a legal case was dragged out from it, threatening to end the chuunin exams entirely. So nowadays all villages need to give out these waivers so you admit before you start that you were aware this will not be easy and you had time to check your own supplies. Does anyone wish to drop out now?"

Not one person spoke up. "Very well then. Go ahead and sign your waivers. The test will begin shortly."

Team Three were given their waivers and they read over them as quickly as they could. The legalese was practically incomprehensible to them. "Any red flags here?" Ichi asked.

"Nothing. Just the usual jargon. Baa-chan showed me one once years ago and I see no difference here." Akane said before writing down her name. Noburo and Ichi added theirs too, since it was one paper for the whole team. While they waited for the others to finish, they double-checked their supplies to ensure they could handle this experience.

The legal matter was settled and Dansue saw not one team had backed down. "Okay then, before we start, any questions?" No one had any. "Best of luck to you all then."

From there nineteen keys were given out by the Anbu. At the same time they were assigned gates to start from. Team Three then were instructed to go to their assigned gate. To their left and right were unrecognized teams, no allies or apparent enemies.

A small alarm went off and the gates all opened at the same time, meaning the second test had officially started. All genin raced inside, eager to get this part started. Soon an alarm went off and all the gates opened. The genin rushed in, eager to get started right away.

Dansue smiled seeing everyone's eagerness. 'Good luck Ichi-chan.' She then started to walk away.

"Dansue-san!"

Until the call of an anbu made her stop. "Yes?"

Approaching her was the anbu Falcon, AKA Neji. "I think we may have a little problem here."

* * *

Moving thru the swamp started out easy enough for Team Three, but it very quickly got harder to. The ground was stable and firm only within the first few meters of the gateway, but away from it the ground became incredibly muddy. So muddy one chakraless step would result in being stuck to mid-calf in mud and natural grime. The three of them found that out the hard way, and it was only thanks to Noburo's hair and Akane's clones that they were able to even get out.

"Let's stay off the ground for a bit to scope out our surroundings." Noburo said as they all sat on a thick tree branch wiping the gunk off their legs. His teammates nodded.

The so-called Swamp of Nightmares looked like a strange combination of Konoha's normal forests and a mangrove jungle with a flooded floor. Many of Konoha's characteristic oak trees were there, though they looked specifically evolved to live in a wetter environment, and their bases were practically smothered with moss. Scattered around were shrubs, reeds, thinner trees with vines, and lilypads floating atop the supposedly shallow bodies of water already visible. No animals except flies and mosquitoes were seen but frogs could be heard croaking.

"So far just a normal swamp." Noburo said, not seeing anything he wouldn't expect in a wetland.

Akane covered her nose. "Smells like a nightmare that's for sure. Going to take me a while to handle breathing here."

"There goes our tracking advantage." Noburo stated. "So how do we find a box?"

"I already planned that out." Ichi said, making Akane and Noburo look at him with interest. "Akane uses her speed and clones to spread out and gather as many boxes as she possibly can as quick as she can. From there the clones take them to the hut to find out which ones are needed to advance, and we use one of them."

Akane blinked several times. "That's actually pretty good Ichi-kun."

The dark-haired boy smiled. "Best part is if we do it good enough, we could be the only team to advance to the next part."

Akane shook her head. "No, I'm not doing that. I'd feel bad denying our friends their own chance, and personally I want to see how good my cousins are here. I'll do this, but any box we don't use I'm rehiding."

"Didn't you say this morning it was bad to create more competition?" Noburo asked.

"Yeah but I'm not going to be selfish about it." The redhead countered. "Now should I do this or not?"

"Please do it. You're our tracker so we can't find these things without you."

Akane nodded. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu." Two hundred Akane's appeared and scattered throughout the swamp via the trees or waterwalking.

Ichi grinned. "This is going to be easy."

Akane however frowned. 'This is almost _too_ easy. It's like this test is specifically designed to work best if one can use clones. There's _got_ to be more to this.'

* * *

"Aha!" One of Akane's numerous clones said as she finally found a box concealed in the dense canopy. "I'm a little surprised there aren't any traps around. Maybe they thought the natural cover and obstacles would be enough. Oh well, time to find out if this one is good or not."

She began jumping towards what she assumed was the center of the swamp, occasionally seeing a few other clones go by but no one else. 'Strange, I see clones but no other teams. I would have expected at least one in this area by now.'

She could very soon come to regret those words.

From out of nowhere there seemed to burst a storm of kunai that flew at her. Literally out of nowhere, they just appeared out of thin air. One moment, there was just an empty space, but then there was a rift in the air and someone wearing black popped up and threw no less than a dozen, maybe two dozen, kunai all at once. It was only thanks to her speed and reflexes that Akane dodged them all.

"What the hell? I couldn't even smell you." She said, surprised this person had hidden himself so effectively.

Said person wore an all black outfit that was strikingly similar to that of Sai's, though Akane didn't know that since he had died four years ago. On his back were two short swords crossing each other like an X, and on both thighs he had larger than normal weapon pouches. He wore fingerless black gloves that had a purple circle on the back that Akane couldn't see too well right now. He had short black hair that looked similar to Kiba's and his eyes were red, and they did not look friendly.

"Hello, Kyuubi." He said.

Akane immediately tensed. "My name is Akane, not Kyuubi."

"Yes, I know, but you are the nine-tailed fox. In fact, by my count you're the fifth incarceration. Don't bother hiding it, I know it's you."

"Who the hell are you?" Akane asked, gaining claws in preparation for using them.

"My true name is of no importance to you, neither is my title. But if you must call me something, let's go with Getsu-roku."

"Well, Getsu-roku, if you really believe I'm what you say I am, what makes you think you can defeat me?" She asked, testing for his reaction.

"The past kyuubis fell, and you will be no different. Same with your 'cousins'." He replied, sounding like he had nothing to be afraid of.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Akane adamantly claimed.

Getsu-roku smiled, as if hoping for this. "Go ahead and fight back. I'll have more fun if the nine of you try to resist me. I've been so freaking bored I _need_ a little excitement again."

"Try this then!" The redhead said before dropping the box and throwing a kunai at him. The smug stranger simply caught it barehanded, as if she was merely tossing it to him instead. However, that had been a decoy, as she dashed up to him as quickly as she possibly could and landed a punch right into his nose.

He flew back and crashed into a tree. When he recovered, he glared at her, nose broken and bleeding. "Bad idea, very bad idea. But since you're just a clone you're not worth my best effort. Let me send a warning to the true kyuubi." Getsu-roku then vanished into thin air, and while Akane tried to get an idea where he saw, she was struck in the chest and dispelled.

* * *

The real Akane suddenly jerked as she acquired the memory of the destroyed clone. "Oh crud."

"Something wrong?" Noburo asked.

Akane nodded. "Someone here knows what I am."

"You mean...?" Ichi asked, receiving a nod from her.

"Yes, someone knows about me and my cousins, and has plans for us. Sorry boys, but I've got to find my cousins before I worry about this test anymore."

"Is this guy really a threat?" Noburo asked, wondering if she was just overreacting.

She frowned heavily at him. "He knows something he's not supposed to. That's enough for me."

"Okay okay." He said, hoping to keep her from acting out.

"Where are your cousins?" Ichi asked.

"I haven't gotten any memories telling me that, but I can't just sit here and wait for another clone to be destroyed." Akane said before jumping off thru the trees, her teammates hard pressed to keep up with her.

"At least tell us we won't be pissing away the chance to pass this test while we do this." Noburo insisted with a light groan in his voice.

Akane nodded though she didn't look at him. "I've still got clones out there doing their job. You've got nothing to worry about in that department. We _will_ pass this test."

* * *

"Hokage-sama!" Dansue shouted as she and an unmasked Neji caught up to the blonde, who was heading home with Hinata.

"Yes?" He asked.

"We may have a problem with the second portion of the exam." Dansue told him.

"How?"

"I caught something odd with my byakugan, and we've checked security footage to verify it." Neji explained. "I don't know why, but somehow an extra team sneaked into the training grounds."

"An extra team?" Naruto and Hinata asked in unison.

Neji nodded. "Yes, which is bad in it's own right, but the reason we have come to you rather than go in and apprehend them ourselves is... I'm not sure how best to describe this, but their chakra, it was black!"

"Black?" Naruto asked. "Like Orochimaru's curse seal black?"

"Not exactly. For lack of a better reference, I'd say yes, but this chakra was even darker. It was like the chakra was made out of shadows or tar. And all three members of the extra team had this chakra."

"Neji, gather a few Hyuuga and an equal number of Anbu too, then go into the swamp and get these black chakra guys out of there." Naruto ordered.

"Yes Hokage-sama." Neji said before he went off.

"What should I do?" Dansue asked.

"Alert T&I for work on captives." He told the silver-haired girl.

"Yes Hokage-sama." She said before rushing off.

"I hope Akane-chan will be okay." Hinata said.

Naruto nodded. "Me too." 'Dammit, this is just like when Orochimaru attacked my team. Are these guys somehow connected, and what are they after?'

* * *

Team Kumo

-Yugiko Funi

Appearance: Black-blue hair, green eyes with slit pupils, tassel earrings, yellow-orange tanktop, mesh armor on elbows, grey bandage wrap on forearms, red belt with cat paw symbol on buckle, black flaps on sides of hips decorated with tassels, brown pants, brown sandals

Family: Foster mother, sister

Likes: Fish, social events, tassels, hunting, milk

Dislikes: Dogs, prudes, being wet, wool, snow

Hobbies: Hunting small game, mountain climbing

Dreams: Be one of Kumo's best kunoichi

-Kirako Yagami

Appearance: Brown hair, orange eyes, grey-beige shirt with thin black vertical stripes, teal vest with bull horn symbols on both breasts, white Kumo gloves, grey pants, two swords strapped on lower back, brown boots

Family: Foster mother, sister

Likes: Music, seafood, salad, swords, animals

Dislikes: Beef, animal cruelty, pessimists, thieves, bad jokes

Hobbies: Singing karaoke, drawing

Dreams: Become Raikage

-Safui

Appearance: Black hair, blue eyes, tanned skin, black shirt with red vest, blue pants, tan boots, armored plating over shoulders, forearms, and shins

Family: Mother, father, older brother, older sister

Likes: Taijutsu, ramen, mountain-climbing, horses, dance music

Dislikes: Swimming, sharp objects, writing reports, litter, caramel

Hobbies: Taijutsu, climbing

Dreams: Own his own dojo someday

-Kei (Sensei of team)

Appearance: Brown hair, blue eyes, red shirt, white Kumo vest, red skirt with grey flap over it, grey slacks, blue and black boots

Family: Little sister, Yugiko and Kirako

Likes: Caring for children, exercising, massages, video games, grapes

Dislikes: Windy days, greasy food, paint, explosions, sand and dirt

Hobbies: Playing, yoga

Dreams: Help her students become great people and ninja


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Within The Swamp Of Nightmares

Akane soon found someone she recognized, and they were fighting someone she didn't. The person she did not recognize looked like a girl their age with brown hair held in a ponytail and bangs framing her face. She wore a black battle kimono with mesh armor on the forearms and shins, and appeared to not be wearing any hitai-ate. She moved as well as the one she was fighting. Which happened to be Yugiko.

The Kumo kunoichi and the unknown one were practically bouncing from one tree to another as they attempted to make some kind of injury on the other. Yugiko could be seen displaying lengthened fingernails and toenails, and tried to be slashing her opponent with them. The other kunoichi, which could now be seen as having red eyes, blocked her claws with her armor and kept her distance.

"You are not the one I was made to fight Nibi. Tell me where the third one is and I shall spare you for now." The enemy told her.

"Like I'm going to send you to my cousin, whatever your name is!" Yugiko yelled.

"I am Getsu-san of Mangetsu. You would be wise to remember that, though you are not the one I am interested in, bakeneko."

"Well I'm the only one here, so you'll have to settle." Yugiko then flared her chakra, making it look like she was covered in blue and black fire.

"What's that?" Ichi quietly asked.

"My cousin's chakra cloak." Akane answered just as quietly. "It's weaker than my own, but it burns a lot better since her element is fire."

"Should we help her?" Noburo asked.

"Not now. She's having some fun. Let her for a bit longer, then we'll step in."

Yugiko did two quick hand signs, which had to be difficult with her extended claws. "Fire Style Fireball Jutsu." She then exhaled a large blue-black sphere of flame, resembling the normal version of the attack in all but color.

Instead of trying to dodge, Getsu-san stood her ground and did some hand signs of her own. "Scorch Style Fire Against Fire Jutsu." Around her formed four fireballs that looked like miniature suns that spun in front of her in a clockwise direction. When Yugiko's attack came in contact, the fireball seemed to get absorbed by the mini-suns then burn out but with a heat flash that acted like a sonic boom.

"What was that?" Yugiko asked.

Akane was asking herself the same thing. 'Did she say scorch style? As in the Suna bloodline?'

"Simple, I fought fire with fire." Getsu-san replied. "You may not be the one I was made to fight, but you still can't stand up to me and my chakra, Nibi."

"Try saying that after you beat me bitch." Yugiko stated.

"Weird word coming from a cat of all people." Getsu-san said before readying another jutsu.

All of a sudden, the tree she was perched in quaked and cracked severely at the base. She had to abort the jutsu to get out of the tree as it started falling. When the tree crashed completely, Kirako was seen behind the stump. Getsu-san looked unconcerned and was about to restart her jutsu, but suddenly from behind a dark-skinned Kumo boy had her trapped in a hold. Getsu-san struggled to get out but his grip was tight.

"Heh, you never were alone were you?" She asked Yugiko.

"Oh I was, for a time. But I never said my teammates were far."

Akane nodded and she and her teammates appeared too. "So, you're connected to Getsu-roku am I right?"

Getsu-san smiled. "Ah, 2, 8, and 9, I'm a bit outmatched here. But I'll be back, and with someone more appropriate." Suddenly she started to glow bright yellow.

The Kumo nin holding her let go. "Ouch! Hot!" Before anyone could do anything, Getsu-san ran off into the swamp, the water steaming wherever she stepped.

Rather than follow her, Kirako approached her teammate. "Safui-kun, you okay?"

"I'm fine, just lightly burned. Wouldn't try that again."

"Looks no worse than a sunburn. You should be good to go, though I wouldn't recommend any long-term taijutsu spars if your skin is sensitive now."

As this was going on, Yugiko looked to Akane. "Something up cous?"

"I encountered another unmarked guy who called himself Getsu-roku and was really hard to sense beforehand. What got to me is he knows who we are."

"And apparently this Getsu-san does too. What do you think they want?"

"Maybe they're here to scope you nine out, like spies from some new Akatsuki group." Ichi suggested. Thanks to his past experiences, he knew full well what Akatsuki had been, as did the bijuu girls so they'd be on the look out for any others trying the same thing.

Yugiko looked towards him. "You think?"

He nodded. "The names are clearly aliases, but they're no older than us so they likely aren't the ones in charge of anything. If anything they're more like a planted team."

"Oh, like this team Otou-san told me about." Akane brought up. "They were in the chuunin exams working for Orochimaru, not to actually become chuunin."

"Yes, same principle here." Ichi replied.

"So there's one more of these guys here?" Noburo asked.

"At least. Though with the names they have, I suspect there could be as many as six. Maybe more."

"Anything wrong?" Kirako asked as she helped her teammate back on his feet. The group then brought her up to speed on the issue, though they kept it vague since Safui didn't know bijuus were involved. "Well that sucks." Kirako said, well aware of the seriousness of the situation.

"What do we do about it?" Yugiko asked.

"I think we should at least let the others know." Akane said.

"Hold on, that means we risk not finding a box if we do something else here." Safui claimed.

"I've already found more than one box needed to pass. I'll give you guys one if you help us in this." Akane said, having already received some clone memories from when they tested the acquired boxes.

"Why should we trust you?" Safui asked.

Yugiko put her hands on her hips. "My cousin may be an idiot, but she's no liar."

"Idiot?" Akane asked, glaring at the blue-black haired girl. Then she shook her head. "Never mind that, we've still got to warn the others. And if I make more clones that would only overcrowd the area and make enemy teams pursue my team even more, so how about we split up?"

"There are three other teams with the others on them so we should split into three groups instead of two." Kirako said. "I'll search with Safui-kun. Akane-chan, you search with one of your teammates, Yugiko, you search with the other. Use a flare when you find one and when the third flare is seen we'll all converge there."

No one argued. Akane and Noburo were arranged to search together while Yugiko and Ichi were partnered. With a shared nod, the three groups split up in a triangular fashion.

* * *

"Can you smell any of them?" Noburo asked.

Akane kept sniffing the area. "No not yet. None of my cousins have come this way, and with this swamp it's almost impossible to tell what's upwind. Too many natural scents mixing together. I wonder if Otou-san planned on this to make it a challenge for me."

"I doubt it. It's probably something predetermined. Anyway, got any ideas to make this easier?"

"Just one." Akane said before closing her eyes and forming the ram sign, followed by a small pulse of chakra and a silent wince of pain across her face.

"What did you just do?" Noburo asked, not seeing anything new.

"I just dispelled all my old clones to get their memories. Out of all the teams they saw or encountered, only one of them had my cousins in it. We're heading for that one, this way." Akane answered, before jumping in the appropriate direction with her blue-haired teammate following.

"Which ones?" Noburo curiously asked.

"My Iwa cousins. But they weren't alone."

* * *

"I hate this place." Safui complained as he lost his grip on the tree thanks to moss he didn't see. Luckily Kirako caught him by growing a tentacle. "This is why Kumo doesn't have swamps."

"That and we're surrounded by mountains instead." Kirako pointed out, retracting her tentacle.

"You know what I mean."

"Man up Safui-kun. This is not the worst thing we've faced. Remember when we had to deal with that rhino that got off the island turtle and was damaging property in civilian towns?"

The tan-skinned boy smirked. "Yeah, though if I recall correctly, you were the one to take it down."

"Only because you and Yugiko helped get it in place."

"Even so, I'm still amazed at how you stopped that beast. It hurts just to remember it. That kekkei genkai of yours is amazing."

"Yeah." The reborn Hachibi replied, remembering her cover story.

In Kumo it was normal for new blood to be brought in to give the village greater diversity in their abilities and numbers in their shinobi. So when A brought two orphaned children to Kumo four years ago, no one thought anything of it.

The weird thing was when the Raikage kept them out of the orphanage, assigned them a regular guardian, and even got involved in their education himself. Usually Kumo's leaders in the past didn't do that. A justified it by saying these two girls had rather unique kekkei genkais that needed to be carefully monitored since Kumo had no experience in handling them before.

A fabricated a story claiming that Kinkaku and Ginkaku were not the only ones to eat bijuu flesh and survive. Evidently some had tried the same with Nibi and Hachibi long ago and survived, and their descendants inherited traits similar to that of the bijuu. In the last stand with Madara he found two girls with these skills that Madara had taken to use for himself and A had valiantly rescued them and brought them back to Kumo, naming them after the recent jinchuuriki to remember them by.

So as far as Kumo was concerned, Yugiko and Kirako were not bijuu but rather false-jinchuuriki like the Kin-Gin brothers. Which explained why Yugiko had catlike traits and could create fire with using hand seals and why Kirako could grow tentacles and use ink jutsus. Only two people in Kumo knew their true identities, A himself and their jounin sensei Kei, who the girls saw as their unofficial mother and father.

Kirako's nose suddenly caught a scent. "Speaking of beasts, get on the ground now!" She knocked Safui off his branch and jumped down to the ground. She landed gracefully but Safui wasn't so lucky.

"What was that for?" He asked, groaning since his muscles ached a bit. But since he was well-armored it would fade in mere moments.

Kirako pointed up and he saw what she had helped him escape, a gigantic python in the trees.

* * *

"So tell me, are you interested in my cousin?" Yugiko asked Ichi as they jumped from tree to tree.

"Huh?" Ichi asked.

"Just trying some conversation. I don't like being alone with someone and not able to talk to them. And what else are we gonna talk about when the only thing we have in common is my cousin?"

Ichi shrugged. "She's a good friend, but I think she's more interested in Noburo-san."

"You jealous?"

Ichi shook his head. "Not at all. They make a good pair. Besides, I'm not interested in a girlfriend right now. Wouldn't know what to do if I had one."

"What a shame. You seem like a fine boy to me." Yugiko commented.

"Thanks. A lot of girls think so. You have a boyfriend?"

Yugiko sighed. "I wish, but no such luck. Kei-sensei and Raikage-sama tend to intimidate those I get close to."

"They your parents?" Ichi asked.

Yugiko lightly smiled. "Not officially, but my sister and I like to think of them that way. Especially with Kei-sensei."

"Must be nice." Ichi said.

Yugiko noticed the envious undertone in his voice. "What about your family?"

"Just a sister. She's the woman who dressed like a tiger and had silver hair."

The blunette Kumo kunoichi was surprised. "That woman was your sister? The one who smells like a battery?"

Before Ichi could answer they ran out of trees to jump thru. Before them was a large peat-covered pond with lilies and logs floating in it. Dragonflies flew over it and frogs were eating any bugs they could catch.

The two remained perched in the trees around the pond. "Shouldn't we keep going?" Ichi asked. He saw she looked bothered, and despite her human appearance she looked eerily like an irked cat with her posture. "Can't you water-walk?"

"Yes I can, but look closer at what's in the water." She told him, pointing to the pond.

Ichi looked in and around, trying to see what got her rattled up. After seeing one of the logs move, he realized that the logs were in fact alligators. Well, maybe one of them was a genuine log, but there were no less than six alligators in sight now.

"We go around, not thru." Yugiko told him.

With no argument, the two went to their lefts to get around the pond. However, when Yugiko tried to land on one tree branch, she fell right thru it. Yelling in surprise, she crashed on the mossy ground.

"You okay?" Ichi landed next to her, then saw the tree waver and fade. 'Genjutsu, and not a bad one. Someone's here.' He took out a kunai and looked around. "We got trouble."

* * *

The python dropped from the trees trying to eat the two genin. It was big enough to eat them both, but not at the same time.

"Is that an anaconda?" Safui asked, getting into a taijutsu stance.

"Whatever it is, taijutsu won't affect it that much." Kirako told him just as the snake lunged at them.

Kirako jumped and reached behind herself to grab the handles of her two swords, but just as she grabbed them, Safui twisted to avoid the snake and punched it right in the left eye. Then as the python recoiled from the hit Safui adjusted his arm guard so the sharp point pointed out and he ran it again the underside of the reptile's neck, drawing a large amount of blood. Then he did a spin kick from above to drive it into the ground and knock it out.

Kirako landed and let go of her swords. She whistled, impressed by what she had seen. "I stand corrected. And now we can have meat for dinner tonight."

Safui looked confused. "But I thought you didn't eat meat."

"Only beef and steak and anything that comes from a bovine. Anything else I'll eat no problem."

The python twitched a bit and Safui kicked it again. "Even so, do we have time to prepare this? We are supposed to be looking for your cousins."

"My cousins aren't helpless. They'll be fine if we take a few more minutes to get to them. Besides, we're still in these exams too and we could use a little more in our provisions."

Safui nodded and the two paused to cut up and seal away the snake meat for later.

* * *

'And here I though we cats always landed on our feet.' Yugiko groaned as she got back up and saw the tree illusion gone. 'Wonder why someone's setting up a trap here.'

There was a rustle in the bushes that got both her and Ichi's attention, and out came a cluster of shuriken. Reacting quickly, Yugiko grew claws and deflected the throwing stars. Ichi grabbed the ones that fell to the ground and threw them back into the bushes, thus avoiding wasting any of his one.

A boy their age jumped out to dodge. He wore a red shirt with black shorts and his hita-ate revealed he was from Kusa. "Fire Style Cremation Cannon Jutsu." He fired a white-hot ball of fire at the two of them.

Yugiko got in front of Ichi and her body was covered in blue flames. The white flame hit her and just seemed to blend into her fire aura and disappear. "Fire won't work on me hothead."

"Then how about water?" A boy asked from behind them. Ichi turned to see another Kusa genin emerge from the alligator pond, wearing a blue shirt, black pants, and a breather mask. He was also covered in algae from head to toe. "Water Style High Tide Jutsu." He then thrust his hands into the water, which retracted and piled up, then got ready to come forward like a nasty wave, alligators still in it.

Ichi reacted in the only way he saw appropriate. "Lightning Style Stungun Jutsu." Small crackles of electricity covered his hands, so he dove forward to reach the water around the blue shirt Kusa nin's feet, thrusting his fists into the water. The normally weak lightning jutsu got empowered by the water and the Kusa nin felt like he had been hit by a full-on cattle prod. 'The water jutsu didn't stop, but now the one who made it should fall victim to it.' Ichi told himself, seeing the Kusa nin collapse on his back and sink into the water.

Ichi used a substitution to get away, and Yugiko and her opponent did too once they saw the approaching wave, which crashed where they had been and scattered the now angry alligators. Yugiko and the red shirt Kusa nin got into the trees and continued their fight, this time using kunai and claws instead of fire.

'I'll help from behind.' Ichi thought, trying to move to get behind the Kusa nin to ambush him.

"Ninja Art Snake Grass Jutsu." Another Kusa nin, this one wearing a green shirt and black shorts, surprised him with. Suddenly a large amount of grass came at him like a swarm of snakes, trying to wrap around Ichi and constrict him.

'Just like Noburo's hair.' Ichi thought before using a kunai to cut the grass. Some managed to get around his ankles and hinder him, but he kept slashing away. The green shirt Kusa nin came up to him and used a kunai to knock Ichi's weapon out of his hands.

The dark-haired Konoha nin reacted by grabbing a flare and lighting it dangerously close to the Kusa nin's face, blinding the enemy and making him wail in agony. He then threw the flare at the Kusa nin who fell out of the trees. "Twilight Style Fantastic Flash Jutsu." Ichi's shadow extended to look like a clawed hand that stretched to grab the flare again. Once it did, the shadow then branched into two hands to attack the person closest to the flare, that being the green shirt Kusa nin.

Once the shadow hands grabbed the Kusa nin's forearms his nerves started to burn but his skin remained undamaged. It was like the heat from the flare was being transferred from the flare right into him thru the shadow. Ignoring the pain, he swung his hands thru the shadows, disrupting the jutsu, only to then notice Ichi jumped out of the tree and delivered a had kick right to his sternum.

The Kusa nin gasped then burst into a pile of grass that fell apart. "Wait, I fought a clone?" Ichi asked.

At the same time, Yugiko's claws slashed the red shirt Kusa genin a bit too close and he burst into a pile of grass as well. "A clone?"

"The real ones are probably still close by. Let's just keep going at planned before." Ichi told the Kumo kunoichi, who nodded.

* * *

"We should be getting close, and if they've moved I should hopefully be able to track their scents." Akane told Noburo as they neared their destination.

"How if you couldn't before?"

"We all have an animal scent to us. Like how I smell like a fox. All I have to do is track the animal scent that doesn't belong in a swamp. Like a horse and monkey. Hard to do with people, but easy to do with my cousins."

"Interesting skill. Wish I had that." A strange male voice called from behind.

The two immediately stopped and turned around. They had been more focused on going forward and this guy was downwind so it was only natural Akane didn't smell him. They couldn't see who it was because he wore a black hooded cloak that covered everything except his mouth and chin.

"Hello Kyuubi." They added. "What a pleasure this is."

Akane growled. "Great, another one of these guys."

"Oh, I'm not just 'another one of these guys'. I'm your worst enemy. Call me Getsu-kyu. Or maybe..." He reached up and grabbed the edge of his hood. "You might prefer the other name this body used to go by." He then pulled back his hood, revealing his face and hair.

Upon seeing it, Akane was shocked and lost her balance. Noburo grabbed her and held her up. "What's with you Akane-chan? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"You're not that far off Noburo-kun." She told him, her eyes never leaving the guy calling himself Getsu-kyu.

"You know this boy?" Noburo asked, seeing nothing special about him. This newcomer just had black hair slicked back and red eyes, and a rather smug smile on his face. Overall, just a normal twelve year old like any other he had seen.

"I'll never forget that face. That's the face of my father's greatest enemy. Sasuke Uchiha."

* * *

Team Kiri

-Shinbou Kyogami

Appearance: Blue hair held in three ponytails, pink eyes, red stripe down right cheek under eye, green kimono with red edging, mesh armor underneath kimono, green obi, sword at hip, dark green pants, tan sandals

Family: Bijuu cousin

Likes: Swimming, soda, lilies, watermelon, relaxing

Dislikes: Dry places, lizards, spicy food, eavesdroppers, ice

Hobbies: Swimming, getting a tan

Dreams: Become Mizukage

-Misao Namikoji

Appearance: Pale purple hair with white flower by left bang, gold eyes with four point pupils, blue top with shoulders exposed and green strap over left shoulder and lace lining, black pants, pale blue cloth flap on left hip, black shoes

Family: Bijuu cousin

Likes: Lace, relaxing, gardening, fruit, fireflies

Dislikes: Running, heavy lifting, salty foods, being bossed around, traitors

Hobbies: Playing the lute, playing shogi and go

Dreams: Be a hero at least once in her career

-Ginta Asatani

Appearance: Blond hair, red eyes, red tank top under dark blue shirt, blue pants, black boots, black paint streaked under eyes and down arms ringing around wrists

Family: Mother, father, no siblings

Likes: Architecture, barbecued food, percussion music, tigers, journeys

Dislikes: Screaming, vandalism, staying in one place, monkeys, shellfish

Hobbies: Sight-seeing, drawing

Dreams: Build something people will want to see

-Issaku (Sensei of team)

Appearance: Orange hair in pageboy cut, light brown eyes, green haori with light blue collar and red triangles on shoulders, red obi with hitai-ate plate sewn in, green hakama, sandals, and bamboo spear

Family: Mother

Likes: Sea animals, cheese, hockey, reading, fishing

Dislikes: Show-offs, traitors, owing favors, being thirsty, spicy food

Hobbies: Building models, walking exercises

Dreams: Make Kiri a safe place to live


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Uzumaki Versus Uchiha: Feud Renewed

"Wait, you mean _the_ Sasuke Uchiha?" Noburo asked.

"In the flesh." The enemy in front of him said. "Though Sasuke Uchiha is a thing of the past. My name now is Getsu-kyu."

"But how is this possible? He died four years ago. And he was eighteen years old at the time. You look the same age we do." Noburo countered.

As strange as it was, this Sasuke indeed looked no older than twelve years old, rather than the twenty-two he would be if he was indeed still alive.

"You don't need to know how I'm alive. All you need to know is I am and I'm going to take down the Kyuubi." Getsu-kyu stated with a superior grin.

"Big mistake. I've killed an Uchiha before, I can do it again." Akane flexed her claws, coming close to creating a chakra cloak but not quite yet.

"Oh little fox, you're far too young and inexperienced to face the likes of me. Maybe after you make chuunin, but not before." Getsu-kyu said, but then he grabbed a kunai. "But I suppose if you really want to fight me I'll see how strong you really are. After all, I came here specifically to fight you."

Getsu-kyu jumped towards Akane who responded the same but with no kunai, only claws. Noburo could only watch.

When Getsu-kyu and Akane clashed, sparks literally flew. Akane glared right into his eyes in this brief moment. 'His eyes are red but I see no sharingan. Is it a cover or did something happen to his eyes?'

No damage done to either, the two had to get away from each other to land on a branch. Akane looked to her teammate. "Noburo-kun, go on without me. Find my cousins and tell them everything."

"What about you?" He asked.

"This is my fight. You can either watch or do what we were planning originally. I'm sorry, but this is something I need to do myself." Akane told him.

The blue-haired boy was reluctant to obey her wishes, but he knew full well why she had them. He had been there when the original Sasuke had thrown a kunai at her in his trial, and he had heard from several others enough to know Sasuke wasn't everyone's favorite person. Seeing the guy back from the dead somehow must have stirred up something in Akane she really needed to work out herself rather than ignore.

"You going to be okay?" He asked.

"More okay than I will be if I have to worry about you being dragged into this." She answered, looking away to face Getsu-kyu who was preparing a jutsu. "Go. Now!"

Without waiting for more, Noburo left.

"Fire Style Fireball Jutsu." Getsu-kyu declared, launching a large fireball at the fox girl.

"Fire Style Fireball Jutsu." Akane proclaimed, launching an identical attack at the duck-haired boy.

The two fireballs collided and fought but ultimately fizzled out leaving just smoke and steam.

"Impressive. Not many genin can pull off that maneuver." Getsu-kyu commented.

"Not many genin have my chakra levels or senseis." Akane replied.

"Oh yeah, it must be nice to have so many people at the beck and call of your current father." The enemy nin stated.

'Current father?' Akane asked, not seeing a meaning there, but she did get an idea. "Yeah, especially when one of them is Sakura."

Getsu-kyu's firm expression faltered. "Who?"

Akane perked up. "Oh you don't know her? Then you're not the real Sasuke Uchiha, not even a resurrected one. You're just an impostor."

"I only said this was Sasuke Uchiha's flesh, I never said I was the real him."

"Then what the hell are you?"

"You'll find out in due time. I'm just here to see how good you and your so-called cousins have gotten. Good luck on reaching chuunin, though you're going to need to be jounin level to beat me Kyuubi."

"I can beat you now even without my clones." Akane stated.

Getsu-kyu raised an eyebrow then smirked. "Hmm... wanna put your money where your mouth is?"

"How about my claws where your heart is instead?" Akane retorted.

"My, such a bloodthirsty attitude for one who claims to be so nice to others. Guess you're still just a demon after all."

"Only to my enemies."

"Not good enough I'm afraid." Getsu-kyu said as he took out a demon wind shuriken then threw it. Akane jumped over it and towards him, keeping an eye for anything attached to the giant throwing star. "You'd be no match for a real demon, and I don't mean your pathetic cousins either."

"When I meet such a demon I'll find out for myself." She replied, throwing a few kunai.

Getsu-kyu substituted with a log. "You just did."

* * *

Noburo was racing thru the swamp, sticking to the trees like most Konoha nin do in a hurry. 'I just hope I get to them before anyone else does. Maybe there's another of these Getsu-guys after them. There's no way this is a random event; someone knew all nine bijuu would be here at once and wanted to do something about it. But what are these guys up to?'

In no time he found his target, the team from Iwa with two bijuu girls. He couldn't see what exactly they were doing, since they all had their backs to him running as well. Not wanting to spook them, he dropped out of the trees and walked up to them. "Kyouko-sam? Fuzei-san?"

The two named girls and their male teammate stopped and turned towards him. "You're Akane-chan's teammate, Noburo-san right?" Kyouko asked.

"Yes, and Akane-chan needs your help."

"Akane? Needs our help?" Fuzei asked. "Why?"

"Right now she's fighting someone who knows her secret, and he's the third guy we've seen who knows about all of you." The blue-haired boy told them.

Kyouko and Fuzei stiffened, well warned of the risks of their secret identity being compromised. "Other than that, what makes these people so dangerous?" Fuzei asked.

"The guy Akane-chan's fighting right now bears a striking resemblance to one of Konoha's deceased criminals." Noburo added. "I don't know where these guys come from or what they want, but they know something they shouldn't and are attacking my teammate and that's all I need to know. Are you going to help your cousin or not?"

"We will, but you can't blame us for wanting to know how dangerous this threat is." Kyouko told him.

"Especially considering we just had to fight off a Suna team a few minutes ago." Fuzeio mentioned.

"Does this have something to do with that secret you two have?" Their teammate Isato asked.

"Sort of." Fuzei told him. "But that's not important. Let's go."

* * *

"What's the crisis Naruto?" Sakura asked as she, Lee, and a Hyuuga jounin named Seito stood in Naruto's office before him.

"Everyone, surveillance footage shows three people sneaking into Training Ground 43 at the time the genin began the second part of the chuunin exams. We don't know why or who they are given they were covered up and moving fast in the footage, but we suspect they're not interested in passing the exam here. Neji Hyuuga has also told me at least one of these three possesses a chakra very similar to the type Orochimaru's cursed seal created."

The three got rigid, understanding the implications. "You think someone's trying to replicate his old experiments?" Sakura asked.

"At the moment I have no clue, but the only way to get some answers if for someone to go inside the swamp and try to find them. You three have no relatives in the exams and thus your presence in the swamps won't risk any confliciting interference for the most part. Track down these three extras, subdue to the best of your abilities, and bring back to T&I. Any questions?"

"Is it possible for us to see the footage so we may have a better idea who to look for Hokage-sama?" Seito asked.

Naruto nodded and turned on the tv in his office, usually kept there to keep himself and Hinata from getting bored being in the office all day long. The screen showed some black-and-white footage of one of the gates to the Swamp of Nightmares opened automatically despite the fact no genin team was there. "This is when the other genin teams were allowed entry. All gates open simultaneously." Naruto explained and everyone nodded.

Next thing they saw was three quick black blurs dash inside the gate before it closed. Naruto rewound the tape and replayed it in slow motion until he paused on a frame that showed three cloaked figures. "Right there is the best image we have of them."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say it was Akatsuki." Sakura noted.

"That was my first thought too, but we should keep ourselves open to other possibilities."

Lee leaned in closer to see the image better. "They're not wearing hoods but at this angle we can't see their faces. Their hair is just a blur too and there's nothing on their cloaks to... wait, what's that?" He pointed to the screen, making everyone lean closer too. "Is that a trick of the light, or someone on their backs?"

"You're right, there's a white circle on the back of all their cloaks." Sakura said.

"Symbol of their group maybe?" Seito asked.

"Could very well be. Try looking for that and any signs of black chakra used. That's where you'll come in Seito." Naruto told him.

"I'll do my best." The Hyuuga told the hokage. Being a former branch member now freed of his seal, Seito had no intention of being a rude subordinate to Naruto. The same could be said of virtually all the released Hyuuga.

"One thing concerns me, why did they wait until the gate opened to get inside? And why didn't they destroy the camera?" Sakura asked. "Whatever it is they want, they obviously didn't want us to learn of it so why didn't they cover themselves better?"

"They probably thought doing otherwise would trigger alarms and draw even more attention to themselves." Seito offered.

Please you guys, go find them and bring them in. And remember, don't interact with any of the genin if you can help it. Dismissed." Naruto told them, starting to get a bit impatient.

"Roger!" Sakura, Lee, and Seito declared before vacating the office.

* * *

Akane was currently in a taijutsu match with Getsu-kyu, if it could be called that. A more accurate description was two peopple simply trying to beat the crap out of each other. Ninjutsu wasn't working for either and weapons were being wasted, so a brawl became the only thing that looked effective.

"Sad, I expected more from the strongest of the bijuu." Getsu-kyu said after blocking a punch.

Akane followed with a kick he didn't block in time. "If I was honestly trying to kill you, you wouldn't be here mocking me now."

"Oh, so I'm alive because you're not yet ready to slay me?" Getsu-kyu mockingly asked, managing to connect a punch to her jaw knocking her back a few feet until she spun and landed back on her feet. "What are you waiting for then?"

"Just a sign, is all." She answered before running towards him at her usual speed, hitting him firmly in the breastbone thus knocking the wind right out of him.

"So you're waiting for me to do something first." Getsu-kyu replied, getting up and looking towards her. "Could it be... this?" He activated his sharingan upon the word 'this'.

Akane froze upon seeing the dreadest doujutsu, and reacted the same way she always did. She pounced with claws out as if ready to rip the eyes from their sockets. Too bad Getsu-kyu was prepared for this and hit her with a baton he had with him. The club hit the redhead girl square in the jaw and she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"A clone?" He asked, unaware she had a chance to switch with one. 'Must have been when I was off my feet.'

He looked around and saw several dozen Akane's ring around him, on the ground and in the trees. "Nice trick, but numbers won't help you here."

"They won't hurt either." A random Akane said as they all tried to swarm him. Most of the clones ended up attacking themselves due to Getsu-kyu substituting with a log to escape the assault.

"On the contrary." He said as he appeared from behind one-fourth of the remaining clones. "Fire Style Phoenix Flower Jutsu." He shot out multiple fireballs, hitting all of them and destroying them, but not the real Akane. Roughly thirty Akane's remained now, and none of them looked happy. He didn't look intimidated. "I'm noticing something about you. When you see a sharingan you throw caution to the wind and attack wildly, a trait I can easily take advantage of in our next encounter. However, that reaction only lasts for a minute at most, by then the shock and adrenaline rush wears off and after that you can be rational about it."

"I'll seen other sharingans, I've been working on not overreacting to them for years." Akane told him, remembering how Kakashi and recently Sayo tried helping her not lose herself in the shock of these eyes.

'All an enemy has to do is henge a sharingan, and you go crazy. If they realize that, then you may play right into their hands Akane.' Kakashi once told her during one of the times he taught her, before teams were assigned of course.

"Four years and you still get panicked by these eyes. Wow, I wonder what kind of trauma happened to all the other kyuubi's because of the sharingan to have this kind of impact on you as well." Getsu-kyu commented.

Akane arched an eyebrow, though with all her clones doing the same it didn't give away her location. "What do you mean all the other kyuubis?"

"You know about phoenixification right? How do you think anyone else knew, even those demon foxes you distrust? It's happened before several times. You're not the second incarnation of the kyuubi. Heck, you're not even the third. By my count, you're the fifth."

'He's been keeping track? Just who the hell is this guy?' Akane asked herself. She then dispelled her clones, standing in front of him by herself. "Just what are you after? What do you want with me or my cousins?"

"Oh, my long term goal is none of your business, but for today I just wanted to see how strong the nine of you currently are. You yourself are not as strong as I expected, but on the other hand my sharingan has failed to take control of your mind. So maybe there's more to you and the other eight that I'm not seeing. My interest in you nine is clearly not wasted."

"Too bad you're interested in the wrong thing." Akane said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Getsu-kyu was alarmed for a moment. 'A shadow clone? Where's the real one?'

As soon as he turned around he got his answer, when he saw two Akanes and a red rasengan heading right for him. Unable to dodge in time, the Sasuke-lookalike took the hit right in his left shoulder, the chakra orb shredding right thru his flesh and into his bones.

The attack knocked Getsu-kyu off his feet and he fell right into the mud of the swamp, getting covered in the wet earth. Before he could get up, both Akane's continued their attack by jumping right on his back, effectively stomping him back into the murky ground. Angered, Getsu-kyu uses his uninjured arm to grab a kunai and stabs one of the Akanes in the ankle.

By sheer luck, he hits the real one and not the clone.

Akane yells in pain and backs away to get the weapon out of her ankle. Getsu-kyu manages to get back on his feet and destroy the clone before glaring at the original, but then he smirks. "You're better than I gave you credit for. This wound's going to keep me out of commission for a while. Next time we meet, I'll be better prepared though."

"There won't be a next time." Akane said, having taken out the kunai and trying not to put any weight on her foot while it healed.

"Oh, yes there will be. We wil meet again Kyuubi." Getsu-kyu said before shunshining out of sight.

'Dammit, if he wasn't going to finish me off, why did he come here in the first place?' The redhead angrily asked herself.

"Akane-chan!" Noburo called out to her as he and the Iwa team arrived. "Where is that guy?"

"You just missed him. He ran off, saying he saw what he wanted to." She told him.

"You mean he was just testing you?" Fuzei asked.

"I don't know what he was doing, but I didn't like it." She answered as she got back on her feet and started sniffing the air.

"No Akane-chan, don't go looking for him now." Noburo told her.

"Why? Shouldn't we go after him?" Akane asked.

"Akane, we still have a test to pass. Try to worry about that now." Fuzei told her.

The young Uzumaki sighed. "I know. I already found several boxes. Want one for your trouble?"

Kyouko, Fuzei, and Isato looked at each other and huddles together whispering before separating. "Thanks for the offer, but we'd prefer to do this ourselves. It'll prove more about our skills if we do." Isato told her.

Akane nodded. "I understand. Best of luck you guys."

The Iwa nin then left.

"Should we go find Ichi then?" Noburo asked.

Akane nodded. "Not a bad idea. I've kind of had enough of this swamp. Just give me a second." She tested her ankle by placing weight on it and hissed. "Still tender, but I'll manage if I don't rush."

"You got hurt?"

"He stabbed me. Second time an Uchiha hit me with a kunai. I'm really starting to hate that family."

Noburo knelt down in front of her. "Here, let me try carrying you so you don't have to hurt yourself further."

Akane blushed and shook her head. "No thanks, I can manage. Let's just focus on finding Ichi-kun." She closed her eyes and tried to sniff her other teammate out. "He's not upwind, so let's try the other way."

"What did you find out about that guy anyway?" Noburo asked as he got back on his feet. Akane started walking downwind and he followed. As they moved, Akane gradually became better able to run.

"Somehow he does have a sharingan, making me think he's a genetic Uchiha if nothing else. Maybe he's like Sayo. But what really concerns me is I was trying to kill him but he wasn't trying to kill me. It was like he was just testing me."

"Why would he do that if he knows what you are?" The blue-haired boy asked.

"I don't have the slightest idea. But my gut tells me I haven't seen the last of him."

After five minutes of searching, Akane's nose caught a new scent. 'Fire? Is Yugiko burning something?' Yugiko was the only genin other than herself that knew fire jutsu so it was safe to assume she was responsible for the scent. "Let's try this way." Akane suggested, veering to her left. Noburo saw no reason to object.

The fire Akane smelled turned out to be a lot larger than she expected. In fact it was walling up the path in front of her when she reached it. But it was blue and black so she knew it belonged to Yugiko, but she couldn't hear anything on the other side.

"Wait here Noburo-kun, I'll go see what she's doing on the other side." Akane told her teammate. "Earth Style Hidden in the Earth Jutsu." She then sank into the ground and moved under it to avoid the fire entirely, as to avoid wasting chakra eliminating it or triggering something worse.

Akane came back up, looking like a swimmer emerging from water more than anything else, and saw Yugiko sitting by a tree carefree. Or to be more exact, she was sitting in Ichi's lap purring like a cat. With her lips on his.

"What the heck?"

* * *

Team Iwa (1)

-Kyouko Yotsuya

Appearance: Red hair with yellow bangs, black eyes, beige hest, pink floral kimono top with left sleeve only, mesh armor on right forearm, maroon shorts, hiking shoes, steel pole strapped to back.

Family: Bijuu cousin

Likes: Flowers, bright colors, climbing, bananas, desserts

Dislikes: Water, pickles, dogs, storms, messy places

Hobbies: Mountain climbing, cooking

Dreams: Become Tsuchikage

-Fuzei Kusaka

Appearance: Pale blue hair, orange eyes, tan haori and hakama with black edges, lavender under-kimono, red obi, golden horseshoe necklace, pale blue shoes, red rings under eyes

Family: Bijuu cousin

Likes: Open areas, hot springs, carrots, technology, chick flicks

Dislikes: Makeup, crowded places, loud noises, sharks, pornography

Hobbies: Working with machinery, jogging

Dreams: To be able to travel

-Isato Soraue

Appearance: Brown hair, brown eyes, green tank top, red vest with metal plates on chest, yellow metal bands on upper arms and wrists, metal belt, brown cargo shorts, brown shoes with metal plates on toes, dog tags.

Family: Father and older brother

Likes: Hearing true stories, gambling, weaponry, surprising others, dango

Dislikes: Those that butt into his business, drugs, squash, not having any ideas, mice

Hobbies: Target practice, card games

Dreams: Experience something worth telling

-Kizan (Sensei of team)

Appearance: Silver hair, green eyes, black mask over mouth, red shirt and pants, beige flak jacket, blue pack, black boots

Family: Unclear, orphan

Likes: His friends, dogs, calming music, barbecued food, rivers

Dislikes: Genjutsus, bathing in public, insects, ice cream, time-consuming tasks

Hobbies: Playing with dogs, watching movies

Dreams: Become tsuchikage or have student become tsuchikage


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Stubborn As Stone, Hot As Fire

Akane immediately pulled herself out of the ground and stomped up to the occupied duo. "What is going on here?"

Ichi and Yugiko stopped and stared at her, wondering when did she appear and how. Remembering her question, Yugiko chose to reply. "It's called kissing. You should try it some time."

Akane blushed but still frowned. "I know what it is. Why were you doing that instead of looking for the rest of us? And what's with the fire? Don't you know how dangerous it is to start fires this big in a swamp?"

"Well we needed a barrier and fire's my element. What else were we supposed to do?" Yugiko asked, not afraid of her nine-tailed cousin.

"Why did you need a barrier?" Akane asked.

"Well, after we split up, we ran into a little trouble." The reborn Nibi started.

-Flashback-

Yugiko's eyes, ears, and nose were scanning the entire area for any sign of hostile activity. "You see anything?" She asked Ichi, who was scoping out the terrain too.

"No, nothing. And that's what worries me."

"Know the feeling. So let's keep moving. Better than making ourselves an easier target."

"Agreed, and maybe we should find a high place for a good vantage point."

"Smart idea."

Yugiko smiled. "Thanks. I'm a lot smarter than I look."

"Akane says otherwise." Ichi told her as they moved thru the canopy, trying to find a higher location.

"That's just how she and I play. You have cousins?"

"No, just a sister. No idea who my family was." The dark-haired boy answered, sounding a bit unhappy to bring that up.

Ichi couldn't remember anything before Danzou got ahold of him. That part of his life was a complete blank to him. Even the part of his memory based on the ROOT training and programming he underwent was hazy, but he was aware that he wasn't producing whatever results the late war hawk expected. Instead of emotional apathy, he was starting to develop a sort of insanity.

So when he was considered a lost cause, Ichi was sent to Danzou's holdout for ROOT rejects, held there until Orochimaru could make use of them. Despite his brewing insanity with schizophrenic tendencies Ichi was still a tactical genius and was likely to figure his way out of the prison, the guards designed his cell to include flamethrowers anytime the door or windows were being opened from the inside, or sometimes at random intervals. The fires ended up giving him a fear of going outside or being around anything that illuminated. Oddly, the one exception was his sister figure Dansue, whose comforting support of him after the prison was abandoned made him cling to her despite the fact she glowed in the dark most nights.

Upon his return to Konoha, the village's psychiatrists went to work on helping the boy regain a sense of normalcy. It took over fifteen months and some of the best Yamanaka who understood child psychology, but before he was ten he was declared normal and sane, albeit quite textbook-smart. He was in desperate need of social skills and interactions with children his own age, so Naruto approved his enrollment in the ninja academy.

Luckily by the time he graduated Ichi was considered by Naruto himself to be a good choice to be Akane's teammate. As father and Hokage, and because of Akane's unique heritage, Naruto had many things to consider in the development of her team. He couldn't resort to grades determining team arrangements, he needed genin Akane could trust and work with given the risks she presented to the team. Noburo offered a sense of comforting familiarity to Akane as well as the shield to her sword, but Ichi offered the ability to take things slow and rationally both of them needed. In a way, Ichi was the yin to both Akane's and Noburo's yang.

"I hope you get along with your sister, and I hope she has a better singing voice than mine." Yugiko commented.

"Yours can't sing?" Ichi asked.

"Not at all. She's good at paraphrasing songs but she can't sing in key at all. Which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't her favorite hobby." The reborn Nibi then shuddered. "Once she was so obliviously terrible I swear I was shedding because of it."

"Well can you do any better?" He asked.

"After we're done here maybe I can let you see for yourself." She answered.

"Stop!" Ichi shouted, but unfortunately she didn't come to a stop as quick as he did and thus tripped the wire he had noticed in front of them. Suddenly countless kunai with wire tied at the ends of them sprang out from both left and right of them, from the front, back, and above them, confining them in a tubular-shaped wire cage.

"Strange trap, but not a bad one I hate to say." Yugiko noted.

Three genin appeared right before them, and Ichi recognized two of them right away. "You're the ones from Iwa we saw earlier."

"Nice you remembered us." Mida told him.

"Hard to forget a girl in... so much gold." He replied, careful not to say what it was she was wearing that really made her so memorable to him.

"Why thank you." She said, pleased.

Her partner Riku looked over the captives. "Where is the Hokage's daughter? She's the one I want."

"Akane? Why her?" Yugiko asked.

"None of your business. I'm not leaving these exams without kicking her ass."

"Now Riku-" Hibuki, the other boy on the team tried to say.

"Shut up Hibuki. We already got a real box to pass and we know where to go to advance. I upheld my end of the deal by getting that done first, and now I'm getting what I want while we still have free time to do so."

"Sorry, but my cousin's not here right now. And we don't know exactly where she is." Yugiko told the Iwa genin.

"Then maybe she'll come here if I hurt you first." Riku threatened.

"Riku-kun this wasn't part of the deal." Mida chided.

"Shut up!" The brown-haired boy stated. "I don't care what I must do! I'm getting revenge on that bitch for what her family did to my sister and nothing you say is going to stop me!"

'Sister?' Ichi asked himself, then remembered the only girl from Iwa he had seen Akane interact with aside from Kyouko or Fuzei. "You're related to a medic nin named Momo, aren't you?"

Riku glared at the black-haired boy. "Right, my full name is Riku Kamizuru, and thanks to the Hokage my sister can never be happy again. Since I can't attack him, I'll settle for destroying his daughter's chance of happiness instead."

"It was your own sister's fault for trying to kidnap Hokage-sama's baby. Was he supposed to _let_ her succeed?" Ichi challenged.

"Shut up!" Riku shouted again, releasing a swarm of bees proving he indeed was a Kamizuru. But before he could do anything, Mida came up behind him and hit him with a golden rod. Not hard enough to knock him out though, just hard enough to get his attention away from attacking the other two.

"Enough. If you really want to fight the redhead then save your strength for her, not these two." When she finished, the rod seemed to morph in her hands and wrap around herself, turning into a golden chain again.

'Wait, how did she do that?' Ichi asked.

Yugiko reacted by covering herself in blue-black fire, surprising the Iwa genin. With both hands she scratched at the wires holding them in place. The heat from the fire combined with her cat-like claws was too much for the wires to take and they snapped, allowing her and Ichi to walk right out of their prison.

Still ablaze, Yugiko grinned. "I could have escaped anytime I wanted to. I just wanted to see if you guys were worth focusing on while we were all here. My guess now is... you aren't. The other two might be, but I've got more important things to worry about than a crybaby like this guy here."

"Crybaby?" Riku repeated, offended. His swarm must have been mimicking his mood since they started buzzing louder but were keeping their distance since Yugiko was on fire and they didn't like that.

"Yeah, I said crybaby. Because that's what you are. I have a sister of my own so I completely understand your desire to not see her hurt, but you're talking like the mere fact she's your sister makes her undeserving of anything bad."

"She didn't deserve what she got."

"She kidnapped the Hokage's infant daughter. And from what I heard it wasn't even an officially sanctioned mission." Ichi pointed out. "You're lucky he didn't execute her."

Up until now, Riku had only looked mad. Now he was furious. His teammates even took a step back from him as his swarm got louder.

Without warning, the swarm rushed to Ichi. But he didn't have to do anything; Yugiko extended an arm made of fire to incinerate most of the swarm. Those that escaped pulled back to fly around Riku. He looked at his teammates. "Help me out here!"

Mida and Hibuki looked at each other for a moment then back at him. "Sorry Riku, this is all on you now. Like we told you before, we're not getting involved in your vendetta." Hibuki told him.

Mida nodded. "We're your teammates so we were willing to help you get your anger out of your system this way, but don't you expect us to make this our business too."

The Iwa genin glared at his teammates then looked away. "Fine, I don't need you anyway."

"Yes you do. You can't pass this exams without us. And you didn't come to Konoha just to assault the Hokage's daughter did you?" Hibuki noted.

"No way, he'd never disgrace his clan by intentionally throwing away his chance for a promotion." Mida taunted, her hands on her hips.

Riku hated to admit it, but she was right. The Kamizuru weren't the most respected clan in Iwa anymore, so they held themselves to a high standard in order to redeem themselves. Pretty much everything they did was to either make themselves more honorable or punish those that dishonored them. Many people called them vain for this, but with all due respect every clan in every village did this to some degree. The Kamizuru were just more enthusiastic than most others.

"And he wouldn't want Sensei mad at him either." Hibuki added.

"Hey, she told me to do what I needed to do." Riku countered.

"I don't think this is what she meant Riku-kun." Mida told him.

Yugiko, now without flames, leaned to whisper to Ichi. "Now's our chance to get going on our own business." He nodded.

The two turned around to leave, but both felt Mida's chain quickly wrap around them both, forcing the two together. Yugiko was a bit uncomfortable given the pressure of her breasts being tightly compressed by Ichi's body, but he didn't seem to mind as much.

"Sorry, even though we have nothing against you, you are competition for us in these exams and that is reason enough to fight you. We just won't be fighting for the same reasons Riku-kun here is." Mida claimed, holding the chain like it was a leash.

Yugiko couldn't use any jutsus without endangering Ichi too, but he didn't have that restraint. His hand was free just enough for him to reach into his supply pouch and pull out a flare. He lit it and dropped it to the ground before starting a series of one-handed hand signs. "Twilight Style Siamese Strike Jutsu."

Ichi's shadow started to condense and get dark, Yugiko's shadow getting caught up in it. Not only that, but the shadow from Mida's chain connected with her own appeared to be pulled into Ichi's own shadow like some of vacuum was affecting them both. She was confused but didn't release them. Then suddenly Ichi's darkened shadow bubbled up like black boiling water and shot up off the ground like a cannonball, and it hit Mida's midsection with a lot of force. The impact made her yell in pain, fall backwards to the ground, and drop her chain releasing them both.

Riku and Hibuki were immediately at her side to check on her while Yugiko and Ichi were freeing themselves of their chain wrap. Once freed Ichi threw several shuriken at the Iwa nin, but Hibuki was on guard for this.

"Earth Style Stonewall Jutsu." He created an earthen wall to defend them all. At the same time Yugiko and Ichi used this moment to escape.

After a lot of running the two stopped and hid by a tree. Yugiko had to catch her breath for a moment. "Thanks for your help back there Ichi-kun."

"No problem." He said, looking away.

"I've noticed you've barely been able to give me eye contact this whole time I've been around you. Even back at Akane's house. Why?"

He gulped. "If I look at you... I'm too tempted to look elsewhere."

"Oh, you mean you might look at my chest instead of my eyes?" She teased. He didn't answer, making her grin. "Don't be so embarrassed. You're good enough to be in these exams so you shouldn't be afraid of a little thing like cleavage."

"I'm not afraid." He said, looking at her for a moment. "I'm just trying to be respectful."

"Well, thank you for helping me. Both against them and the Kusa nin." She then leaned against him, hoping to make him feel more comfortable. Instead he stiffened. "You don't interact with girls that much, do you?"

"Sometimes. Usually Akane-san and a neighbor, but most I know always looked at me weird and gave me weird notes in class. I didn't know what to do so I just acted like nothing was going on."

'Sounds like a shy and slightly naive but polite type.' The reborn Nibi thought. "So you've never been alone with a girl before right now?"

"Does my sister count?"

"No."

"Then yes."

"Wow. You poor boy." Yugiko replied. It was hard to tell if she was serious or teasing.

"We should focus more on the exams." Ichi said, changing the subject.

"You look tired, and personally I don't want those guys to attack us again." Yugiko said before waving her hand. All around them and the tree, a ring of fire flickered into existence and created a pillar-shaped flame barrier around them, yet it wasn't burning anything.

"There, now they can't get us without alerting us. Let's take a moment to get a little rest and recover." She told him.

"Sounds good." Ichi said, afraid to admit he was tired. 'Times like this I wish I had Akane-san's stamina.'

"While we're waiting, tell me a bit about yourself." Yugiko said, hoping to keep a conversation between them going.

"Why?"

"Just curious. We've got nothing else to talk about do we?"

-End Flashback-

"From there one thing kind of led to another." Yugiko said as she wrapped up her recollection.

Akane shifted her eyes from her cousin to her teammate and back and forth. 'Ichi-kun and Yugiko? Didn't see that one coming.' She then shook her head to clear her mind of these thoughts. "Now's not the time for that. We need to find our Kiri and Suna cousins and warn them. Our Iwa cousins are already warned, but I'm not sure about the other four yet."

"Good, because right now I kind of just want to get out of this swamp."

Akane nodded. "Me too, but I'm not going until I know all of us are warned."

"Then let's go find them." Noburo stated.

The others nodded and went back on their run throughout the Swamp of Nightmares.

* * *

Sakura, Lee, and Seito were searching the swamp as well for a different set of targets. With Seito's byakugan they knew where to best avoid the genin and hopefully locate the three extra people in the fortified training ground.

"I found them. Three chakra sources that are black." He told the others.

"Anything else about them that's noteworthy ahead of time?" Sakura asked.

"None of them are together at the moment, quite spread out. And they all seem to be the same size as the majority of the genin."

"Wait, you mean they're children?" Lee asked.

"I can't say for absolute certainty, but my best guess is yes."

"Now that's confusing, but it still doesn't change our objective. We can still capture them or at least one." Sakura reminded the two.

"The closest one is this way. It looks like a male and he's currently not fighting anyone else. Instead he seems to be looking for something, or maybe someone." Seito said before leading them to the intended target.

The trio jumped thru the trees avoiding the genin and dangerous animals in the process, planning to ambush this threat. Sakura had her battle gloves on and Lee had a set of nunchaku ready at his side. They would surprise the enemy, beat him into submission or unconsciousness if possible, then take him to T&I before going after the other two.

It was a solid plan, but once they saw the enemy, it didn't seem so easy anymore.

"No way." Lee stammered.

"It... it can't be." Sakura denied. "Sasuke?"

"Hello Konoha nin." Getsu-kyu said smugly. "Miss me?"

* * *

It took an hour, but Akane and her team with the help of more clones were able to meet up with Shinbou, Misao, Shukaku, and Mushi and tell them of this strange group after them. The bijuu girls were grateful for the warning and went back to their hunt for the boxes. Yugiko reunited with her team and accepted Akane's offer for one of the many working boxes her clones had found. One of her clones also gave the real Akane a box too, then she dispelled all her clones.

So the two teams headed to the center of the swamp ready to finish the second portion of the chuunin exams. But when they got to the required location, they saw someone waiting for them.

"Aha! I figured you'd show up sooner or later." Riku stated as his teammates looked like they were resting off to the side.

Akane stepped forward. "You're the little brother of that girl who tried to kidnap my little sister. And you want to attack me because you know you can't attack my father, the one you're truly angry at."

Mida looked to Akane. "Sorry about this, but he just won't shut up about it until you spar with him. Please just get it over with for all our sakes."

Akane didn't look please but flexed her fingers then looked to her teammates. "You guys mind if I teach this crybaby a lesson while we have time?" She asked, deliberately using the nickname Yugiko had given him. Riku was clearly insulted when Akane repeated it.

"No, but let us hold the box." Noburo said.

"Of course." She said before giving the box to him so it wouldn't get damaged. Riku wasn't holding his team's box so he didn't have to worry about damaging it.

Akane then looked at the brown-haired Iwa nin. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear Riku-san, whatever happened to your sister, I'm not sorry for it. If you're looking for an apology for whatever happened to her, you'll get none from me. It was either her or my sister, and like you I choose mine."

Riku frowned and released some of his swarm. "You're going to wish you never said that."

* * *

Team Iwa (2)

-Riku Kamizuru

Appearance: Brown hair, grey eyes, blue shirt with red leather vest, grey slacks, black boots

Family: Grandmother, grandfather, older sister

Likes: His family, honey, working with tools, drawing, fishing

Dislikes: The Uzumaki's, being insulted, bland food, being underground, dragonflies

Hobbies: Bee-keeping, craftsmanship

Dreams: Help his clan be redeemed

-Mida Sudachi

Appearance: Black hair, green eyes, purple bra-like top with fuchsia jacket, black belt, tan shorts, black boots, golden earrings, golden bracelets, gold chain wrapped around torso, gold hitai-ate metal plate

Family: Father, little sister

Likes: Gold, cooking, mint, puppies, melee weaponry

Dislikes: Dresses, snakes, pepper, taking medicine, alcohol

Hobbies: Spelunking, metal-sculpting

Dreams: Become Tsuchikage

-Hibuki Tsubasa

Appearance: Blue-tinted black hair, silver eyes, black long-sleeved shirt under red short-sleeved shirt, blue pants, brown shoes

Family: Mother, older brother, live-in younger female cousin

Likes: Nonlethal combat, pizza, birds, rock-climbing, racing

Dislikes: Bloodthirstiness, dirty houses, fish, styrofoam, storms

Hobbies: Climbing, weaving

Dreams: Hopes to fly like other Iwa nin someday

-Shouhei Myonata (Sensei of team)

Appearance: Blue hair, green eyes, brown vest, lavender one-sleeved shirt, lavender arm band on right elbow, lavender flap on right side, red pants, black shinobi boots, chui strapped to back

Family: Father, brother, fiancee

Likes: Chinese-style clothes, noodles, cats, skiing, being around men

Dislikes: Repetition, toads and frogs, lemons, being hungry, being too feminine

Hobbies: Golf, poker

Dreams: Be a wife and mother


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39: To Be A Strong And Honorable Ninja

The two genin stood apart facing each other, neither taking what looked like a stance but both were clearly attentive of the other. Their teams stood on opposite sides of the field. They seemed to mutually decide that themselves getting into a fight right then was pointless.

Akane looked bored yet ready to counter, while Riku looked mad and ready to draw blood, or to be more specific, as if this fight would prove his sister's innocence or guilt.

Since Akane was not making a move, Riku decided he would. He sent his swarm right to her. 'This should at least show me how she reacts.'

Akane was not intimidated by the swarm. She quickly made a ram sign. "Earth Style Hidden in the Earth Jutsu." With that she sank into the ground, completely safe from the swarm.

Riku scoffed and turned to her teammates. "Does she really think she can beat an Iwa nin with doton jutsu?"

"Who said that's all she can use?" Noburo asked back.

'At least I know what she's most likely to do next.' Riku said before making his swarm hover half a meter above the ground around him so when she emerged to strike he'd strike first.

Akane did emerge, but it was right between his feet and it was her fist first, coming up right until she connected with him.

Riku gasped in pain and clutched his attacked body part before he fell to his knees trying not to cry.

Noburo, Ichi, and Hibuki both reflexively felt sympathetic pain and guarded themselves a bit. Mida did nothing.

After that several Akanes came out of the ground and on orders the bees attacked them all. Their stings dispelled the clones but diverted the bees long enough to leave on spot clear enough for the real Akane to reemerge. "Want more? I can do this all day."

Glaring, Riku commanded his swarm to gather around himself. "You get one cheap shot in and you think you've won?"

"Well I am the one who's still standing. In our line of work that usually means victory."

"Are you just toying with me?" He asked, offended.

Akane mock-laughed. "What gave me away?"

The worst of his pain over, Riku stood up again, though he did have to do it carefully. "How dare you! This is supposed to be serious!"

"Only to you Kamizuru-san. To me, this is totally pointless and beneath me."

"Why? Because you're the Hokage's daughter you're too good to waste your time fighting an Iwa nin like myself?" He asked.

"I don't recall saying anything like that." Akane responded calmly. "This is pointless because it doesn't change anything."

"What?" Riku asked.

"Think about it numb-nuts. You said you're fighting me because your sister was punished. Will beating me undo her punishment? Will losing to me make it worse? And do you have any say over which one of us can become chuunin? No, to all of those questions. This fight is completely pointless to everyone except you. So why should I participate like it's something to take serious?"

"You think this is pointless? You don't have the slightest idea what this means to me!" Riku declared, tightening his fists. "My family has been fractured for as long as I can remember. My parents are dead, my grandparents are likely to die any year now, my sister is all I had left, and thanks to your family she's been banished from home and I'll be lucky if I ever see her again even on missions. You ruined my family, so why shouldn't I be allowed to get some satisfaction in attacking you?"

Riku then sent his swarm back at her, them flying much faster than before. Akane was still not frightened. "Protective Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms." Creating Hinata's original technique, she cut away at the bees much like Hinata had during the bikochu mission ten years ago. She had to move her arms faster than Hinata though since she didn't have a byakugan to tell her which area to focus on.

'If she keeps that up, I won't have much left for the next part of this test.' Riku thought before recalling his swarm.

Akane saw this and ended her jutsu, before staring right at him firmly, her gaze almost exactly mimicking an irate Naruto. "Believe it or not Kamizuru-san, I actually can understand your point of view. I'm adopted, so I too value family quite a bit. And like you, I'd do anything to keep my family from suffering."

She then flexed her fingers a bit, and fortunately for her he did nothing just yet. "However, your family tried to hurt mine. If the circumstances were reversed, you would have done exactly the same thing I did. So don't you dare tell me right and wrong are based on who, not what."

Riku was still hostile, but he didn't look like he was out for blood anymore. "Even so, couldn't you at least considered how my sister's family would be affected by your actions before you took them?"

"What are you, stupid? No ninja does that on the job. Seriously, how could any one of us do this kind of work if we gave time to worry about how our victim's families will take it? If we all did that, we'd either become unable to perform the job or completely immoral. I mean, have you given a moment's thought to how my little brother would take you attacking me? Would you say he's justified in wanting to hurt you to avenge me? Just like what you're trying to do?"

"You have a little brother?" Riku asked.

Akane frowned. "Yes, and he means the world to me, much like you must mean to your own sister. So if anything bad happens to him while you're here, what happened to your sister will be the least of your worries. And by your own logic, whatever you do to me gives him every right to take out on your or your family. Then your family will retaliate and so on, thus creating a cycle of hatred that will never end. Until someone decides to let their pride go and get over the offense. Tell me Kamizuru-san, is your vendetta important enough to make other people suffer and get involved?"

"Well why can't your clan be the one to get over it?" Riku asked.

"Forgiveness is supposed to be a choice, not an obligation." Akane answered. "All this time I've been telling you my thoughts on your anger, but not once did I tell you to just forget it, have I?"

"No, I'll give you that one but I..." He paused for a moment. "I need to win this. If I don't how can I ever face my sister again? How can I tell her I fought the ones responsible for her banishment and lost to them?"

'Ah, so now the truth is becoming clearer.' Akane thought. "Better luck next time?"

Mida giggled at that but Riku wasn't satisfied. "I won't need better luck next time if I beat you this time."

"Yes,_ if_ you beat me that is." Akane said before throwing a tagged kunai at Riku that hit the ground before him.

Riku panicked to see this and jumped away, settling for behind Akane to try and push her towards the bomb. She turned around and kicked him in the head with an impressive display of speed and flexibility. Before he hit the ground, she grabbed him and threw him back towards the kunai.

"Are you trying to kill him?" Hibuki asked.

"Oh he won't die from this."

The paper bomb went off, but instead of a standard explosion, there was a large sick yellow-colored gas cloud that covered a good twelve meter radius. Riku was the one closest to it and he took the cloud right to his face.

On reflex he got back on his feet and ran out of the gas cloud gagging, as did everyone else. He regrouped with his team.

"She carries around a stink bomb trap?" Mida asked, looking like she had licked something terrible and had to get the taste out of her mouth.

"It wasn't even that effective." Hibuki commented. "Yeah it smelled bad and came with a bit of an aftertaste, but it wasn't anything intolerable."

"But we were only exposed for a second. If we had been there longer it might have been worse." Riku added, then tried recalling his swarm. To his horror, only a few came back, and some of those that did dropped out of the air, dead on the ground. "No, no, what did she do?"

Akane showed up. "Oh that? That wasn't a stink bomb, at least not intentionally. That was actually an anti-insect bomb, filled with insect poison. Relatively harmless to the rest of us, but lethal to anything with six legs or more. I had a feeling I'd need such a thing here, and looks like I was right."

"You... you killed off my swarm?" Riku asked.

"You were prepared for that possibility as soon as you came here." Akane told him 'If this had been Tatsu-kun I'd be more apologetic, but not here.'

Riku frowned and stood up to face her, but then sighed in defeat. "I hate to say it, but I'm going to let you win this one Uzumaki. As much as I want to keep fighting, I think I'd rather keep the rest of my skills hidden for the rest of this exam."

"Good choice." Akane said with a nod. She then turned away and walked away without another word.

"After all that, you're just going to let her walk away the winner?" Hibuki asked.

Riku reluctantly nodded. "I have to. I do intend to become chuunin here too and I won't be able to do that if I give away all my secrets or swarm fighting just her." He recalled what remained of his swarm, which was now about a quarter of it's previous size. "Besides, if she had that kind of weapon on her, she could have ended this fight at any time she wanted."

"So why didn't she?" Mida asked.

"I don't know. Maybe she just wanted to see what my skills were like beforehand."

"Or maybe she was giving you the chance to get some of your anger out of your system." Hibuki added.

"What?" Riku asked. "What makes you say that?"

"Do you still feel furious at her? As much as you did before?" The dark-haired Iwa genin asked.

The bee-user thought it over and realized his teammate had a point. 'He's... he's right. I don't feel so angry anymore. I mean, I'm not happy, but I'm not enraged. Fighting her really helped me vent my frustration. Did she know that? Did she really fight with me to give me an outlet?'

* * *

Akane rejoined her waiting teammates. "Sorry about that. I figured we'd do some outdoor activity and we might need at least some insect repellent if we did."

"Also if you had to fight against your Aburame friend." Ichi added.

"Maybe, but I would have been less likely to use it against him. He is my friend after all."

"Hey, can we finish this test before someone else decides to fight us?" Noburo asked.

"Of course. Let's get out of here."

The trio returned to the hut they were supposed to enter once they found a box that didn't self-destruct in it's vicinity They went inside and saw nothing but four walls and a wall scroll.

Ichi stepped up and read what was on it. "If ascending into the heaven's is your truest desire, then gain greater wisdom to send your mind higher. If the power of the earth is what you require, then gain greater strength with the Will of Fire. When both heaven and earth come together as one, the battle for you will be over and done. This... blank, is the secret way that shall guide your journey onward from this place today."

"What is that supposed to me?" Noburo asked.

Akane shrugged. "I don't know, but according to the rules we are allowed to open the box now. Maybe that will give us a clue."

"I hope so." Noburo said before pulling out the key they were given before the test started. He had kept the key in a place they all knew would be carefully guarded, inside his hitai-ate. With it in his hand and the box in Akane's, he unlocked it. Before it opened, he chuckled. "Kind of reminds you of our genin test doesn't it?"

Akane silently ahhed. "Now that you mention it, it does."

Noburo opened the box, and inside they saw a seal painted on the bottom of it. "A seal? What's that going to-?" He stopped when it started to smoke very heavily, like it was on fire.

Akane dropped it right away and everyone backed away from it, defensive about what was to come. The box then burst and the smoke cleared, and when it did, they saw a person standing where the box had been.

"Ino-san?" Akane asked.

"Ah, Akane-chan, how nice your team was the one I get to help here. Boy your father will be happy to see you made it thru this time, and in one day nonetheless." The platinum blonde greeted.

"Why are you here?" Noburo asked.

"I'm here to tell you three that you have officially passed the second portion of the chuunin exams and can advance to the third and final portion." She answered, letting them celebrate momentarily. "Whenever test-takers pass the second stage, they are greeted by presently-ranked chuunins to help them prepare for the final part. Since this place is too small for that and we need room for the next team to come, let's go somewhere else."

"Where?" Ichi asked.

Ino knelt down and revealed a trapdoor in the floor none of them had noticed before. Once open they saw a descending staircase. "This will take us somewhere more comfortable, so follow me."

They did so and the trapdoor was hidden again just before Riku's team entered the hut with their own box, unaware of what had transpired just seconds ago.

At the bottom of the stairs there was a hallway that none of them could see the end of. "We need to head this way, and we'll talk while we walk." Ino said, sounding like an escort. "Now, do any of you three understand why we tested you this way?"

"It was a simulated mission." Ichi answered.

"Yes but it's not just that." Ino replied. "We already know you do well on missions. The fact you were nominated to take these tests proves that. Why would we need to test that even further?" None of the genin could give an answer. "This was done to test several things about you. Your ability to stick together as a team in difficult times, how you react to competing ninja, your ability to survive off the land, your speed, your ability to work without a jounin guiding you, and most importantly, your willingness to follow orders."

"Take that box you found. Your orders were to find one and bring it somewhere but under no circumstance open it until you got there. There could come missions where you have to deliver someone or retrieve something but you have no idea what exactly it is. There is a reason we say curiosity killed the cat after all." Ino continued.

"Don't say that around Yugiko though." Akane whispered to Ichi who nodded.

Ino either didn't notice this or chose to ignore it and kept up her explanation. "While we ninja are allowed the freedom to make some choices of our own on our jobs, for the most part we are still required to follow orders, even if said orders are 'mind your own business'. For genin, following this is often difficult, but those mature enough to handle chuunin responsibilities know what to do even if disobedience is more tempting. We don't need chuunin who think they can pick and choose which orders to follow."

"So what would have happened if we had opened the box before we got inside the hut?" Noburo asked.

"I or a different chuunin would have appeared and knocked you all out, thus eliminating you all from the exams."

"Good thing we waited." Ichi commented.

"Hey, what was the deal with that wall scroll?" Akane asked.

"Oh nothing, just a decoration." Ino answered.

"A decoration in the middle of nowhere?" Akane asked, not buying it.

"Ok, you got me. That saying on there is actually one of the creeds of Konoha's chuunin. It reminds us of what to strive for."

"Why was a word missing?" Ichi asked.

"That missing word is part of your own interpretation of what it means to be a chuunin." Ino told him. "The heaven in the saying is a metaphor for a strong mind, and the earth is a metaphor from a strong body. When you have both of these and know how to use them, you are an optimum ninja, one worthy of being chuunin. And then the blank will be filled for you, because you will then know what will guide you in the future."

All three genin silently thought this over.

'They really take advances in rank seriously. I wonder how difficult the trials to become jounin are.' Noburo thought.

'I wonder what else there is to test us on. The only thing left that makes sense is individual fighting skills, or something else I can't identify yet.' Ichi pondered.

'I was told few people actually get promoted the first time they take these exams. Now it suddenly makes sense why when they're testing us in so many ways.' Akane realized.

"It's pretty impressive that you three managed to finish this part in just one day. You three must have been trained pretty well." Ino added. 'And possibly because of the home-field advantage.' She added to herself.

There was one unspoken tradition that all five of the great hidden villages practiced. It was unspoken because it made so much sense to the experienced ninja that it was too obvious to bother mentioning out loud. And fortunately there was nothing illegal about it even if someone did.

This tradition was giving first time participants the advantage of taking it in their home village. Because of the very design of these exams, those who have taken it more than once had a huge advantage of those were taking it for the first time. Most jounin felt the only way first time genin could compensate for that was to at least take the exams in the village and terrain they knew best. This was not a rule and of course there had been many times in the past and present where first time takers were from foreign lands, but most often this was how things went.

"So where are we going? Can you at least tell us that?" Akane asked.

"Oh sure. We're going where everyone who finishes the second test goes. We're almost there anyway." Ino said.

Up ahead the genin could see a staircase that went upwards, much like the one they used to get down into the hallway. Ino went ahead and opened the door at the top. "We've got some time before the second test finishes, so go ahead and relax a bit as long as you don't leave the area or try to contact anyone outside."

They nodded and followed, and found themselves in another building. This was no hut in a swamp. This looked more like a hotel.

"Where are we?"

"Just somewhere outside Konoha you and the others who pass will be waiting for the next four days. I'll show you to a room you three can use." The Yamanaka heiress answered before leading them down another hallway.

* * *

Later that night, Naruto was in the T&I department. "Did you guys catch the intruders?"

"We only managed to catch one Hokage-sama. He was surprisingly difficult to fight but we did subdue and capture him. And when we brought him here, the other two had vanished from my byakugan's range." Seito Hyuuga told him.

"Increase Anbu village border patrol tonight, and get the Hyuuga to search around Konoha in case these guys have sneaked inside." Naruto ordered.

"Yes sir." Seito said before departing.

Naruto then looked at Sakura. "Any idea who these people are or what they want?"

Sakura looked afraid to answer. "Um... Naruto, I think the best way to answer that question is to show you who we captured. But I got to warn you, this... target, is unlike anything we could have been prepared for."

The whiskered blonde immediately realized his teammate was not comfortable with this. "Is it a traitor? Like Kabuto?"

"Technically yes, but you really need to see him to believe this." Sakura confirmed. "C'mon, I'll show you to him."

Sakura led Naruto to the holding room for their prisoner, where Lee was standing guard. With a nod he let them in, where Anko and Ibiki already were. In the center of the was a single person bound and blindfolded, unable to see, stand, or use any jutsu or weapons.

Naruto recognized that face right away even with a blindfold over it. "It can't be. You're positive this isn't a genjutsu?"

Ibiki nodded. "We already ran a blood test several times. Results give a margin of error at about four percent, but the tests insist he is who we think he is. Somehow, this is Sasuke Uchiha."

The prisoner smiled. "Not quite. Wouldn't you like to know what I really am?"

"Oh, so now you speak. Alright then, care to tell us what you really are?" Ibiki asked.

"I am the one who will destroy the world."


	40. Chapter 40

_To avoid confusion here I want everyone to know I'm using a noncanon history here that diverged from the story before the fourth war started._

Chapter Forty: Memories Of Enemies Past

"You're going to destroy the world?" Naruto repeated, skeptical. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Frankly, no." The Sasuke-lookalike answered.

Naruto frowned, then closed his eyes and steeled himself up, trying to get into his hokage mindset for this. "You probably want us to believe you are the real Sasuke Uchiha-"

"I never said that." The doppleganger interrupted.

Quiet for a moment, Naruto regained his train of thought. "In any case, we know you're not the real Sasuke Uchiha. Even if by some unlikely chance we executed the wrong one, he would not be the age you are. So tell us what exactly are you."

"This body is called Getsu-kyu. Call me that."

"This body?" Sakura repeated. "Meaning that isn't your real name or you're just using this body like a Yamanaka could."

Getsu-kyu smirked as if he just scored a victory. "Maybe yes, and maybe no."

"This is why we actually train interrogators. The prisoners are rarely easy to handle." Ibiki told the hokage and his childhood teammate.

"Your department is vital, but I want to ask a few things before I let you return to your duty. Feel free to listen in." Naruto told the scarred jounin. 'Ibiki's better at reading between the lines than I am. Maybe he can get more out of this guy than I can.' Ibiki nodded and Naruto returned his attention to the prisoner.

"You can't stop me you know." Getsu-kyu stated. "I may have been slowed down years ago by the ninja armies destroying all those Zetsu's, and even more so when you killed off Madara Uchiha and Kabuto Yakushi, but I can't be stopped by any human. I can only be delayed."

Everyone looked confused. Before the Fourth Ninja War started, the shinobi alliance had found the source of the Zetsu's and destroyed it, along with what could be considered the Primary Zetsu, the black and white one. In doing so Kabuto and Madara were unable to create their own Edo Army and went into hiding, along with Sasuke and his group Taka.

It took two years to get rid of them all, with Sasuke being the last to officially die. Kirabi acquired traveling rights much like the late Roshi had done before and later encouraged Sasuke, Juugo, Karin, and Suigetsu, and beat them into a pulp. Suigetsu and Juugo were dead and Karin was put into a vegetation-like coma, but Sasuke escaped and rejoined Madara.

Kabuto was the tricky one. After the Zetsu's were destroyed, he set out to recreate them and even upgrade them using Orochimaru's technology. As it turned out, that wasn't his only plan. And Naruto would never forget that encounter.

-Flashback-

"This is it right?" Naruto asked. He was standing before an underground entry that looked exactly like the kind Orochimaru had used. He was accompanied by Sakura, Sai, Kakashi, a summoned Pakkun, Anko, Gai, and Hinata, and it was one year after the Pain Invasion and one year before Akane was born.

Pakkun nodded. "My nose say yes, he is down there."

Hinata, byakugan active, checked the area. "I see no traps but I also see no people or objects down there, like it's completely empty. I do however see an artifical chakra network in the walls defining the structure so maybe it's designed to trick my doujutsu."

"There's no way that's the only trap." Anko stated. "The creep must be hiding a lot in there you're being blinded to."

"Sai, send some ink mice down there to take a closer look." Kakashi ordered.

Sai nodded, drew several mice quickly, and did his ink jutsu to make them three-dimensional and able to inspect the interior.

Naruto created some shadow clones and henged them as mice too. "This might help us too." No one argued, and he sent them in with the ink mice.

Hinata kept focusing. "Anko-san's right, as soon as they enter they disappear from my sight. Something here is definitely designed to obstruct the byakugan."

"Punk-ass sure is prepared." Anko muttered.

"But he's not invulnerable. Kabuto can be wounded and killed like the rest of us." Naruto told her.

"He better be." The snake mistress declared.

Naruto suddenly stiffened. "Everyone move!"

Without waiting for more everyone jumped, but before an explosion from right under them went off. They hid behind trees to avoid the blast and the debris. Smoke still came around trees like it normally would, but this smoke was a sick purple color.

'Poison!' Everyone there thought then jumped away even further to get out of range.

"Wind Style Great Breakthrough." Naruto shouted, performing a jutsu Gaara gave him access to over the past year to clear the smoke and allow them to return to the site.

Large snakes came out of the new hole in the ground but no one hesitated to attack. Naruto rasenganed one, Sakura crushed the skull of another, Kakashi raikiri'ed one's head right off, and Gai kicked the last with enough force to snap it's neck.

A quick glance down showed the hole connected to a lower level of the hideout. "For the blast to be that strong at this depth means we're likely not going to find anything salvageable down there." Kakashi analyzed.

"Unless it was directed up rather than all out." Gai added.

"We won't find out until we go see for ourselves." Anko said before jumping. Before anyone could object Naruto followed after her and Hinata followed after Naruto. Soon the rest followed, hoping it wasn't an unwise decision.

They landed and were immediately on their guard, stances taken and weapons drawn as they stood back to back in a group.

Hinata used her byakugan. "The network that obstructed my vision is down, I can see him and he's on the move."

Everyone followed Hinata, who led them down a few halls, around several corners, and even down some stairs. Luckily she alerted them of any traps before they went off and hurt them.

"Stop." Kakashi told them, getting them to halt.

"We can't stop now Kakashi-sensei. Kabuto's getting away." Naruto argued.

"Maybe. Or maybe he's leading us somewhere. Hinata, is he actually heading towards an exit?"

The Hyuuga heiress doublechecked. "He's heading to an underground cave but if there is an exit it's out of my range."

"He's leading us into his territory for something. We need to change our plan."

* * *

The underground cave Hinata described turned out to be a cavern filled to the brim with stalactites and stalagmites everywhere. There were even what looked like natural stone pillars connecting the floor and ceiling. Kakashi, Anko, and Gai came in thru an entry that looked like it had been made by a bomb.

Almost immediately they saw Kabuto waiting for them, wearing a black cloak and his face still covered in scales. A white snake the size of a python head out from behind him. "They only sent three for me? I'm kind of offended at being taken so lightly."

Rather than waste time talking to Orochimaru's former apprentice, the three jounin decided to attack right away. All three of them threw three shuriken which Kabuto deflected with a sword slash. The attack of course was not meant to hit him but to create an opening. The three Konoha nin rushed forward in the moment Kabuto was defending himself to attack him directly, but suddenly two more snakes popped up and the now three snakes struck, biting only Anko but coming close on the other two.

Anko pulled back but right away she felt like her whole body was on fire. Her curse mark was where it hurt the worst, and the pain flared until she lost the ability to stand up. Several more white snakes slithered to her and wrapped around her, keeping her immobile.

"I'm glad you brought her along. I've been needing a sample of Orochimaru-sama's chakra to complete my plan, but Sasuke is too smart to go anywhere he thinks I am. Glad to know Konoha isn't the same." Kabuto told them.

"Too bad you won't keep her." Gai said before performing a Dynamic Entry style kick. Four snakes that looked larger than before lunged at him, but Gai pulled out two nunchaku from his leg warmers to help him fight back. Kakashi went to help his friend with another raikiri, cutting off the snake's heads with it.

"You'll never win this way." Kabuto announced.

"We know." Gai said without fear, confusing Kabuto.

"Rasen-shuriken!" was heard just before a spinning bladed ball of chakra hit Kabuto from behind, shredding into him. Unfortunately all that was seen were a couple more snakes, though one that appeared headless slithered in between the rock formations and hid just as Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, Sai, and Pakkun showed up.

"Clever gambit, jounins from the front, chuunins from behind. Trying a pincer move on me." Kabuto's voice was heard commenting.

"You trying to regenerate like Orochimaru did?" Naruto asked, clutching his injured arm that was hurt by his wind jutsu. Sakura was already working on healing it.

"Don't underestimate me like that." Kabuto told them.

"I can see chakra everywhere and several snakes, but one of them has human chakra and it looks like it's shedding it's skin to... to create a human." Hinata said, a bit bothered by the sight.

"Orochimaru could do the same. Somehow it heals him completely, but it must cost a lot of chakra to do so." Naruto said.

'Like the creation Rebirth Jutsu, just grosser.' Sakura thought, comparing it to Tsunade's own technique for recovering from massive damage.

A white snake came to them and stood up as best a snake can do, with human arms sticking out of it's mouth that were pulling the mouth back. Kakashi went in for a chidori, last one he could use of the day, to pierce the creature. The snake however actually shot out it's fangs which hit Kakashi in the shoulder, hurting him and altering his aim enough to miss and hit a stalagmite instead.

Kakashi pulled back while Kabuto continued to crawl out of the snake's mouth, and he removed the fangs, already feeling a sting of venom. He pulled an anti-venom pill out of his supply pouch and swallowed it, hoping it would be enough.

Kabuto emerged, looking like he had nothing but scales for skin, and his eyes were exactly like Orochimaru's, even the dark marking's around it. But what was weirder was he had two small set of horns too and a snake sticking out of his stomach like some kind of living umbilical cord.

"What... what the hell are you now?" Naruto asked.

"I'm what Orochimaru-sama always tried to be but never succeeded in, a true snake sage. In fact, I'm better than a snake, I'm a dragon now."

Everyone looked bothered except for Sai. "And that's supposed to scare us?" He asked.

Kabuto did some hand signs then spat out a white liquid. "Sage Art White Dragon Jutsu." The white liquid took on the form of a dragon that tried to wrap around the chuunin. They jumped out of its way but it stayed in place circling around a black orb it released, glower brighter as it spun, then it burst, creating a very bright light and a lot of sound vibrations.

The experience was very painful, especially for Hinata who had her byakugan on and thus extra vulnerable to light-based attacks. She was practically blind, as were others. The vibrations alomst made them feel like their skeletons were about to fall apart and their organs were trying to reposition themselves.

Only Kabuto was able to ignore the effects with his snake eyes and less dense body composition. He moved in a slithering manner and opened his mouth to a degree that was too wide even for a snake, ready to kill one of the ninja. 'Which one? Maybe the Hyuuga, she's the most vulnerable right now.'

Before he got close, he encountered a chakra arm that grabbed him by the throat, open mouth in the way.

The light faded a little, allowing Kabuto to see more, and he saw Naruto in his Kyuubi cloak sage mode. "You're not the only one with sage power bastard."

Angered, Kabuto closed his jaws to break free of his hold. Unfortunately, this meant biting down on a direct mix of Kyuubi's chakra and natural chakra which got into him and upset his own natural chakra balance, making him begin to turn to stone. He let go and immediately worked to regain his balance before he petrified, and he succeeded, though his body did feel a little stiffer.

Naruto created another chakra arm and tried to rip Kabuto to shreds, but the dragon man now managed to slip out of his grasp and backed away. By now the light and vibrations were gone and everyone was regaining their equilibrium. Everyone except Hinata.

'I can't see. I'm blind.' She thought, worried but didn't want to upset anyone or reveal a weakness Kabuto could exploit. "Sakura, help me, my eyes still hurt." She whispered to the medic who immediately applied soothing medical chakra in hopes it would return the damaged parts to normal.

Kabuto was to busy dealing with Naruto to notice. "Now that's impressive Naruto, mixing demonic chakra with sage chakra. No wonder Sasuke was afraid of your progress." He then jumped as best he could and hung from the ceiling of the cave. "But foxes don't always win against snakes."

"This fox is part of a pack you know." He said before stretching two chakra arms. Kabuto moved to escape but since he was slower than before one of the hands grabbed the head of his stomach snake. "A little help guys?"

Sai was already drawing. "Ninja Art Super Beast Mimicry." A giant ink mongoose sprang to life and went for Kabuto's body.

"We're a little busy here Naruto. Keep him occupied. "Kakashi told him as he and Gai were killing off the snakes keeping Anko trapped. They were almost done but not there yet.

Kabuto pulled out his sword again and stabbed the mongoose between the eyes, making it melt back into ink. Naruto's second chakra hand grabbed him. Kabuto tried to squirm out again but Naruto sank his chakra claws into his flesh, keeping him firmly in place.

"You're not going anywhere."

"Oh am I?" He asked before making a dragon sign. "Sage Art Inorganic Transmigration Jutsu."

Without warning every part of the cave warped like it was a sheet in the wind, bubbling and waving around. The stalactites and stalagmites now became the equivalent of stone fangs trying to chew down on them all, and compressed the ninja if they avoided the sharp ends.

Seeing everyone in danger, Naruto immediately created a chakra projection of Kyuubi to stand guard over him and the rest, breaking the stone before it could reach them and holding the walls back. But unfortunately in the process he let go of Kabuto who landed on a piece of ground he made stay flat and inert.

"How do you like that? A jutsu that can make the very surroundings act alive and ready to consume you." The bispectacled ninja gloated. "But that's still pretty impressive what you've done Naruto. Maybe I should take you before Akatsuki does."

"Fat chance." Sakura said before flexing her fist and hitting the ground with all her might, creating a tremor and crack that rushed forward. The cave started to slow down its wavering and the fissure was diverted by the wavering, but it did damage the stalactites and stalagmites more.

"Not much, but it appears you did make the cave return to normal." Kabuto commented. "But I'm still going to win. I can do so much more than all of you combined. Everything Orochimaru studied and learned, I know it all. And I'm a level above him. How could you possibly hope to defeat me?"

"Simple, no one is invincible." Naruto said, dispelling the fake Kyuubi. "Not even me."

"Well I've have to agree with you on the last part." Kabuto said.

"Ninja Art Super beast Mimicry." Sai repeated, creating a pride of ink lions that pounced that the dragon man. Grabbing a kunai Kabuto fought them off with his snake head.

Naruto jumped forward and created another chakra arm. 'I got to make this count. His cave shift destroyed all but one clone I hid so I can't last in sage mode much longer.' The giant chakra hand tried to grab the snake sage but he got away from the fingers by jumping back to the ceiling. He then fired off a fireball jutsu at Naruto.

Hinata, her eyes better now but her vision still fuzzy, jumped in front of Naruto and did a Rotation to deflect the flames. "You okay Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah, thanks Hinata-chan." He said, just as his sage mode faded away and he returned to normal. "Oh crap."

"What's wrong?"

"I won't be able to do sage mode for a little while." He said.

Meanwhile, Sakura was on the ceiling trying to hit Kabuto directly. He swung his stomach snake to get rid of her, but she grabbed ahold of it and squeezed the skull. Kabuto tried to shake her off again, but Gai surprised him by attacking from behind and kicked him face first into the ground.

"It's over Kabuto." Anko told him, wincing from remnant poison in her veins but she was standing again and brandishing a kunai in each hand.

"Not even close." He said before sinking into the ground.

"Byakugan." Hinata said, trying to find him.

Naruto saw the ground under her shift. "Hinata-chan!" He shouted before pushing her out of the way just before Kabuto came up with his sword, piercing into Naruto's chest.

"Naruto-kun!" She shouted in horror, seeing him take the hit that was meant for her.

"Looks like I got you Naruto." Kabuto said triumphantly.

Enraged, Hinata created her Twin Lion Head juuken strike and managed to hit Kabuto's blind side. The attack overloaded his chakra network and forced him out of sage mode. Anko joined in and drove both kunai into his neck. With his chakra greatly reduced and out of sync, Orochimaru's former right-hand man was unable to counter this, and he began to die.

Naruto fell on his back, and Hinata immediately pulled the sword out. "Naruto-kun, why did you do that?"

"He was about to attack you. What else could I do?" He said, trying to hide his pain.

Sakura came over while the others were ensuring Kabuto would be dead and inspected his wound. "That sword was poisoned. I need to act fast." Pulling out a leaf, she began to extract the toxin from his blood.

"Naruto-kun, promise me you won't do that again." Hinata told him.

"I can't Hinata-chan."

"Why not?"

He smiled. "For the same reason you defended me. I love you."

Hinata gasped. They had been dating for a year and this was the first time he said that to her. Crying in joy, she kissed him. "Oh Naruto-kun, thank you. But still, don't almost get yourself killed like that in front of me again."

"Only if you promise the same." He told her, making them both giggle.

After they cut off Kabuto's head and sealed it then destroyed his body, the group went over the contents of the hideout seeing the things Kabuto had been up to, including but not limited to DNA samples of several Oto nin and failed attempts to grow more Zetsus. Everything was destroyed by them on the spot.

-End Flashback-

"So you've been active that long?" Naruto asked. "Tell me, how exactly do you plan to destroy the world?"

Getsu-kyu laughed. "You don't really believe I'm going to tell you just because you asked right?"

"Maybe I can't make you speak, but my interrogators can." Naruto told him. "And forget about your allies coming to your rescue."

"What makes you think they will?" Getsu-kyu said completely fearless. "They think the exact same thing I do. This body is replaceable, as are their own. They won't lift a finger to save me, nor would I do any different."

"Some teamwork." Naruto grumbled.

"On the contrary, it's the best teamwork ever because we have the same mind."

'I don't like the way he said that.' Naruto thought. "Too bad you have the face you do. We're not going to be lenient on you just because you look like one of our own."

Sakura nodded. "If anything we're going to be worse because you bear the face of one of our traitors. No one in this village has any love for Sasuke Uchiha anymore."

That was certainly true. The last Uchiha had been dead for four years and everyone in Konoha had gotten over it. Even the remaining members of Team Seven, who made sure that no matter what they got together once a month to train together to keep their bonds and ensure the team didn't die with Sasuke, Sai, or others they had lost over the years.

So even though Naruto and Sakura were facing someone who looked exactly like their old teammate, they both had plenty of time to come to terms with his passing and past behavior. Neither of them were hoping for the best right now, and instead were being the professionals they were required to be.

"Confident are you Hokage?" Getsu-kyu challenged with a grin. "Have you any idea why I'm even here now?"

"That's what I'm hoping to get out of you, among other things."

"You'll love to hear this. I'm here to take the Kyuubi."

Everyone stiffened, but none more than Naruto who got protective. "You keep away from her you hear me?"

'Her?' Sakura asked, as she was the only one in the room unaware of where exactly the Kyuubi was. As far as she knew, it was still trapped inside Naruto.

"Or you'll what Uzumaki?" Getsu-kyu challenged, still smiling in a way no one had ever seen the real Sasuke smile before. "Afraid I'll tell someone where the Kyuubi really is?"

Frowning and afraid of how he'd react, Naruto turned to Ibiki. "He's all yours Ibiki. Tell me what you learn at the end of the day, and if he tries to escape, you have permission to kill."

"Right Hokage-sama."

Naruto then left, followed by Sakura, leaving Ibiki to his work. Sakura looked at her teammate noticing slight tremors in him as he walked. "Something wrong Naruto?"

He sighed. "Yeah, a lot I guess. Seeing Sasuke's face even though I know it's not really him was not something I thought I'd have to prepare for."

Sakura nodded. "I know what you mean. When I first saw him in the swamp, I didn't know what to think."

"So how did you handle it?" He asked, curious.

"It was easy when he attacked us. I just reacted, though Lee thinks I may have held back a bit. If I did it was only so we could bring him back alive rather than dead. There's definitely something going on here with this fake Sasuke."

"Any ideas?" He asked.

"Just one. If the DNA says that is Sasuke in blood if not mind, then maybe we're dealing with a clone."

Naruto was wide-eyed. "You're saying someone cloned Sasuke?"

"It's not impossible. Humans can be cloned but it's illegal and highly unethical to do such a thing. Now Sasuke did spend six years with Orochimaru and Akatsuki? None of them were ethical or abided by the law so either one of them could have gotten his DNA and decided to make a Sasuke 2.0 for some reason."

Naruto thought it over and could find no flaw with the theory. "That would explain why he's younger than the real Sasuke would be. And all those Zetsu's were technically clones of the Shodai Hokage so why would Akatsuki have stopped there? Maybe they've cloned other ninja too."

Sakura nodded. "The question then is who's using them and why. To restart the Akatsuki and reacquire the bijuu?"

Naruto shrugged. "If Akatsuki or Kabuto created them then that might be the only thing they know how to do."

Sakura paused for a moment, not sure how to phrase her next concern to the blonde. "Umm Naruto, I'm sure he was just playing mind games, but when that fake Sasuke talked about the kyuubi, it seemed to get to you more than I expected it to. Is something wrong?"

Naruto froze for a moment, then just stared into space before looking normal again. "Sakura-chan, do you trust me?"

The pinkette did not expect that response. "Yeah, of course I do Naruto."

"Even if my answer is a little... unusual?"

"Naruto, I've seen a lot of things in my time as your teammate that are unusual. I doubt that at this point of time you can show me something that would turn me against you."

Naruto gave a reassured smile. "Thanks Sakura-chan. Now, the truth is an S-rank secret of the highest degree. You cannot tell anyone, like when you learned about the Kyuubi the first time."

Sakura nodded.

"The power of the Kyuubi is no longer inside me. It's now inside my daughter, Akane-chan."


	41. Chapter 41

_Credit for the idea of the arena goes to coneill1992_

Chapter Forty-One: The Preliminary Matches Begin

Five days later the second test of the chuunin exams ended. Some participants had been killed in the Swamp of Nightmares, some were beaten by the other teams or succumbed to the threats of the swamp, and some had failed to find a proper box in time. But those that passed were anxious for what was to come.

At noon, when the test was officially declared over, Naruto stood in his hokage robes before a group of several genin gathered in the main room of the building the passing genin had been recuperating in. 'Wow, twenty-seven genin made it this far. That's more than twice the amount the last time we had the exams here, and more than when I took them too. Maybe it's because at least nine of them are bijuu. At least Akane made it thru. I'd hate to see my little girl devastated if she couldn't make it this far.'

The jounin sensei of the passing teams were informed and gathered to meet up in the room. Akane immediately recognized Hanabi, Kakashi, and Kurenai, along with Team Four's sensei Yukio Kobanaga, but there were five jounin she didn't recognize. The one from Suna was a brunette woman with a tan vest, pink sleeves, and brown skirt. The one from Kiri was a blonde man wearing a green haori and hakama with a red obi and what looked like a bamboo spear strapped on his back. The one from Kumo was a dark-skinned woman with brown hair, a red shirt under a white Kumo-style vest, and grey pants with a grey wrap over a red skirt. There were two Iwa jounin, a man and a woman. The man looked an awful lot like Kakashi except his outfit was red and his hair wasn't spiked but other than that he could easily pass as a relative of the Hatake. The woman had blue hair, a brown vest over a lavender one-sleeved shirt and red-orange pants with a lavender flap on her right hip and a chui strapped on her back.

Aside from the jounin senseis there were several others high in rank gathered. Ibiki and Anko were here, keeping an eye out for an allies of Getsu-kyu. Assisting them were Ino, Dansue, Temari, Lee, Shino, Neji, Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon.

Clearing his throat Naruto looked at the collection of genin. "Hello everyone, I assume I need no introduction this time. Congratulations on getting this far. You have all passed the second test of the chuunin exams. Before we continue on to the next part, there's something you all need to know about these tests. And that is the reason we have them in the first place."

"Huh?" Several genin asked.

"Isn't it so we can determine who's ready to be chuunin or not?" The boy genin from Suna asked.

"That's part of it, but that's not all of it." Naruto replied. "Let me ask you all something, why do several countries gather together to do these tests together? Why is this preferred over doing the tests without the other countries? Normally you'd think that inviting other ninja here would risk giving them a chance to find out something they could use against us. Like how our village is structured or where we keep things. Speaking from experience, these exams are the perfect opportunity to get around an enemy's defenses and attack. So, why do all five villages risk this?"

The genin all looked at each other, hoping someone here to provide an answer to this. But none could, and the question did get them thinking. The chuunin exams would indeed be the perfect time for an enemy to infiltrate and do something nasty.

"The official reason is we do this to promote friendship between the allied villages and to improve the quality of our ninja. However, it isn't as simple as that. At the heart of the matter, this test is a substitute for war."

The genin were all confused. They were participating in a mock-war without even knowing it?

"What does that mean?" Mushi asked.

"The ninja villages have always been competitive for as long as they've always been around. And the five major villages were always the most competitive in all this, wanting to be the strongest village. This of course has led to several wars between two maybe three villages and three great wars between them all. Over time the leaders of the villages decided this was too wasteful a way to prove a point and convened to come up with a fair alternative. Their creation is the early version of the chuunin exams which has been perfected over the years into what it is today."

"So this test wasn't originally created to test for chuunins?" Sayo asked.

"Actually it was originally more like an international talent show, but the test for chuunin was added in for proper motivation for the participants. To truly make these exams worth anything, the shinobi in it must be fighting at their best. People watch the finalists to determine those eligible for chuunin, and it's not just village leaders. There are clan leaders, nobles from several countries, and clients seeking the best ninja for the job. These people want to see ninja fight at their best, and ninja don't fight at their best unless they have something worth fighting for."

"It still sounds like a talent show when you create that kind of audience." Kirako noted.

"Rest assured it is so much more than a talent show." Naruto reassured. "It is a test of strength, be it physical, mental, or emotional. The strength of your country is revealed by the strength of your village. The strength of your village is revealed by the strength of the ninja it produces, such as yourself. And the strength of a ninja is revealed by the challenges that ninja is given. This is why we provide you tests and make you risk your life in battle. It is the only way to see how much you've grown and who needs to grow more."

'This makes a lot of sense, like deep down I already knew it.' Akane and the other bijuu girls thought.

"These exams are performed with all the villages participating so the villages can keep an eye on each other." Naruto said after he adjusted his hokage hat a bit. "The village that can produce the most chuunin is obviously doing something right compared to the other villages. This interests clients so they hire one village more often, which is good for that village's economy. And the other villages get an idea of who's stronger than themselves so they know not to be so eager to fight that one village anytime soon. In this sense, we avoid unnecessary wars."

The genin started to look like they understood, though the implications hadn't fully settled in just yet. So Naruto had more to tell them. "This is why you must know that the third part of these exams is a life-risking battle. Where your village's honor is dependent on how well you do. It is no longer just about your chance at a promotion. It is now about proving your home is competent in it's work or not. Is that clear?"

The genin nodded and he smiled. "Good. Now, I'll turn things over to the proctor of the third part of the test." He stepped back and one of his advisers stepped forward to face the genin.

"Hello everyone, I'm Sakura Haruno, and before we start the next part, there's something we must do. We must hold a preliminary round, to determine who goes to the third round."

"A preliminary round?" Several genin, including Akane, repeated in disbelief.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, and while you all have earned the right to go on in these exams, the sad thing is there are just too many of you. For the sake of those we invite to oversee the conclusion of the exams, as well as consideration for all of you, we have to keep it short. If we were to include all of you in this, the final round would take all day long. Which would bore away clients for future business and leave all of you too exhausted to continue on. For that reason, we need to reduce the number going into the third round."

"That makes no sense." Yoshimaru argued.

"I thought the same thing when I was your age and had to participate in a preliminary of my own. But we don't have all day to conduct the final round. No one would want to watch that all day and you guys don't want to fight all day long either. Remember this isn't just about you, it's also about the audience, so we have to do this. If any of you are not feeling up to participating in a preliminary round within the next five minutes, then raise your hand and ask for leave. Oh, and unlike the first round, this time it will not affect your entire team, just yourself. The prelims are individual skill testing so testing as a team is no longer required at this point." Sakura told them.

Everyone watched the genin, but no one asked to drop out.

"Okay then, let's begin the preliminary round." Sakura told them. "Now, normally you all would participate in a one-on-one fight where you are allowed to go all out as long as you don't leave the assigned area. However, this year we cannot. By our count, there are 27 of you."

"So you have to change it because of an odd number?" Ichi asked.

Sakura shook her head. "It's not that. If we do one-on-one fights like normal, we'd get a remainder of fourteen ninja for the final round. Thirteen single matches for twenty-six of you with the last one getting to advance by default. Unfortunately that's still too many for the time we're allotted. We have to resort to our alternative method, which is three-way battles. Basically three of you are assigned to fight each other until only one remains. With that done, at best only nine of you will be able to advance."

'I wonder what it would be like if it was all nine of us.' Akane asked herself, referencing herself and her cousins. 'Somehow that sounds really boring.'

"The matches will be declared over when two of the participants are unconscious, dead, unable to continue, or if one of them has done something to disqualify themselves. To prevent pointless deaths, if I say a match is over, you all must stop fighting. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. Is that clear?" Sakura reinforced.

No one argued.

"Good, now, let me show you exactly where the fights will be held, as this room is no battlefield."

The older ninja all led the younger ones outside and to the back of the building. There in the open field was something none of them have seen before. There was a large lake easily the size of a football field with four wooden pillars shaped like dragon totems arranged in a square around it. In their mouths were thick ropes and these ropes were holding a large wooden square that was easily ten meters on all sides and likely a meter thick. Not far away was a balcony-style alcove with stairs so others would be better able to observe anything on the suspended square.

'Thank you Yamato-taichou for creating this.' Naruto thought, glancing towards one of his former superiors. 'With all nine bijuu girls here we have to do the prelims this way so we can avoid excessive property damage they could cause. Also, the outdoor fight might help lure in those other infiltrators so we can apprehend them.'

"This is where you will be fighting." Sakura told the genin. "Three of you will be on the central platform where you will fight. You are free to leave the platform as long as you never actually touch the ground or fall into the water. Either action is considered leaving the area and thus a disqualification. Walking on the water if you can is okay, but sinking into it is not."

She then pulled out a remote and pushed a button. On the backside of the building a panel opened and everyone could see an electronic screen appear. "This is how we will determine who is in the matches. Your names have all already been collected and a random generator will select three names at a time. Those who are selected will go to the platform and await my signal to begin the fight. When all the fights are done, the prelims will be over and those remaining will be able to advance to the final test. Any questions?"

No one said anything. "Alright then. Let's see who's the first to fight." Sakura pressed another button, and names scrambled over the screen too fast to be recognizable. But one by one they became clear, and the first arrangement was clear to all.

Sakura smiled. "The first match is Satoshi Nara, Tanto Mantono, and Sayo Shichou. Are you three all ready?"

The named contestants stared each other down, trying to intimidate the others before it even started. It was hard to with Tanto since he was wearing a hood that had a mesh screen over his face. Right then he could have easily passed for Kankuro given the similar outfit and the screen-mask. Satoshi on the other hand wasn't even trying to intimidate the others, but he certainly didn't look intimidated by them.

"Everyone except these three please move to the viewing area." Sakura said, gesturing for everyone to head there. Everyone did, jounin and genin. Some leaned on the railing to get a good view while some leaned against a provided wall for some shade.

The assembled genin got onto the platform by walking up the totems and ropes to get there, and stood in a triangular pattern to face each other down. Satoshi had his hands in his pockets, Tanto had his arms at his side, and Sayo had her hand just inches away from her supply pouch.

"Begin!" Sakura announced.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter Forty-Two: Preliminary Rounds One And Two

Once the signal was given Sayo grabbed two kunai and threw them with each arm at both of her opponents, hoping to get them out early. She wasn't trying to kill them, rather make them fall off the platform and disqualify them. Both boths dodged but only Tanto grabbed a weapon in return. He unbuckled the straps holding his wrapped bundle on his back in place and brought it out in front of him, still wrapped.

'I'm going out on a hunch that he's one of those puppeteer ninja Suna is famous for.' Sayo told herself. 'His weapon can do potentially anything and it's likely neither of my bloodlines can do anything about it. However, he himself is still vulnerable to me. I need to find out what his puppet does then work around it to get to him directly.'

Satoshi appeared to be thinking the same thing as he had yet to make a move.

Tanto held his wrapped up puppet in his left hand, but with his right hand he pulled out a weighed chain from a pocket neither of his opponents had seen beforehand. He started swinging it around above his head like a rope, forcing both Satoshi and Sayo to step back to avoid being hit by the blunted weighted end.

'Okay, so his puppet isn't his only weapon. That changes things a bit.' Sayo thought, glancing at Satoshi for a moment. 'Weird, he should be able to trap this guy easily with the shadow provided by the chain but he hasn't. Why?'

Ignoring that, Sayo did a set of hand signs designed to take them both out. "Ninja art Poison Fog Jutsu." She exhaled a cloud of dark purple gas that quickly covered the fighting area. Satoshi covered his mouth while Tanto kept spinning his chain. Somehow the spin drew the gas in like a vaccuum thus keeping it away from him, but Tanto had to spin harder for that to be maintained.

Seeing an opportunity Satoshi drew two shuriken and threw them at the Suna genin. One missed and impaled in the wooden platform but the other cut open the front of his mask, exposing his mouth. "There, now your mask can't help you from her poisons anymore than my hand can."

By now Sayo's gas cloud had dissipated so Tanto stopped spinning his chain and placed it by his feet. "Then I better go on the offensive." With a tug of his hand the wrapping on his puppet pulled apart.

What was revealed was a segmented wooden snake easily as long as Tanto himself, complete with metal fangs in its hinged mouth. No hinges were seen on its body, making it hard to determine what the limits of its movements were.

"Is that supposed to scare us?" Sayo asked, having no fear of any poisonous creature.

"My Serpent is no mere scare tactic." Tanto claimed as he made his chakra string connections to the contraption. It sprang to life and hissed in a mechanical way, looking like a coiled snake ready to strike whoever made a wrong move first.

"Well this is a pain." Satoshi apathetically groaned.

Sayo pulled out a kunai but instead of throwing it cut into her upper left arm just enough to make herself bleed. Ignoring the pain she brandished the kunai and charged at Tanto, trying to get around the puppet on the opposite side of Satoshi. Tanto responded by making the Serpent attack her and bite her arm, making her yell in pain but not stop charging, only slow down. To make her stop, Tanto made the wooden snake constrict around her, especially ensuring her right arm couldn't be used.

"You better forfeit. I switched the venom in Serpent's fangs for a nonlethal one for these fights but it's still going to be nasty for you while it's in your system." Tanto warned.

Sayo grinned. "Unless you used arsenic, I won't feel a thing."

Tanto quickly felt a sensation of cold throughout his body combined with an inability to move, and in that moment he saw in the corner of his eye Satoshi rushing at him ready to hit him directly. Unable to defend himself, he was forced to take a hit to his face. The hit wasn't enough to send him flying but it did knock him on his side since he couldn't correct his balance.

Sakura seeing this was caught off guard. 'Wait a minute, how could a Nara trap their opponent keeping themselves mobile but their opponent immobile? That's not how the Shadow Possession works.'

Whatever was keeping Tanto immobile wore off so he got back on his feet. He freed one of his hands from his puppet to grab his chain in the process, using his left hand to keep the Serpent wrapped around Sayo. In his hands the chain began to act like a snake too, hitted Satoshi until he backed away.

'Interesting, he can control the chain's movements as easily as he can the puppet using the same jutsu on both. But can he use both at the same time?' Satoshi asked himself.

Sayo struggled to get her hands free enough to form hand signs but couldn't just yet. And as expected, Tanto's poisons were having no effect on her thanks to her bloodline. 'All I can do is hope Satoshi handles him so I have an opportunity to get free.'

Satoshi did indeed have a plan, but he wasn't doing it for Sayo. He made a hand sign that looked like a reverse rat sign. "Shadow Snare Jutsu." His shadow extended forward but it didn't act anything like the technique Shikamaru used. Instead it created a shadow disc that shot forward like a two-dimensional shuriken that impacted Tanto's own shadow, forcing him to freeze like he had before.

'What the heck was that?' Sakura asked herself, having caught it this time but not familiar with this jutsu.

You didn't get to be a ninja clan by only having one jutsu after all. Even the lazy Naras had to have more than just the Shadow Possession and its variants to establish themselves as a true clan in Konoha. Satoshi was using one of the clans alternative shadow jutsus, the Shadow Snare.

The Shadow Snare was like the Shadow Possession, but arguably a better design and purpose depending on who you asked. Instead of creating a lasting connection to the opponent, this jutsu created a projectile attack, and instead of controlling the victims movements this jutsu simply removed their ability to move for a few seconds, time length depending on the strength of the jutsu caster.

The benefits of this jutsu were that since the caster was not limited in movement like the victim, the Nara had more freedom to do what they needed to the enemy without being dependent on back-up. Meaning they were free to directly attack the person they trapped. Also, as no link had to be maintained for the effect to last, this jutsu consumed less chakra and wasn't hindered by the amount of shadow provided to the caster.

There were downsides to this of course. This jutsu was a projectile attack and like any projectile once you sent it out you couldn't control where it went, nor could you automatically retrieve it. So the caster couldn't afford to miss lest they waste chakra. And the effect was always short lasting, even the best Nara couldn't make it last more than twenty seconds. Also, even though the victim couldn't move their body, it didn't freeze their chakra or blood either so it couldn't be used to kill or cancel out jutsus.

Satoshi had only seconds to act before Tanto regained mobility so he had to act fast. Moving faster than most people expected of a Nara, he shoved the Suna genin with all his weight, forcing him to fall over the edge of the platform. The chakra strings holding his puppet and chain in place had snapped so Sayo was now freed. Tanto himself regained mobility a little too late and could not stop himself from falling into the water.

"Tanto Mantono is officially disqualified." Sakura announced over the splash.

"Thanks." Sayo said as she got free of the wooden snake.

"Don't thank me yet. I still have to fight you too. I just went after him first because attacking a Konoha nin first would have felt wrong." Satoshi told her.

Rather then respond sayo dragged her fingers across her wound covering them in blood then did two one-handed hand signs. "Ninja Art Blood Senbon Jutsu." Pointing her fingers at Satoshi the blood on her fingers shot off her looking like red needles aimed at his unarmored body.

Satoshi ducked down, dodging the blood projectiles. 'I can't let her lay a mark on me. Her clans jutsus revolve around poison and her blood gives her all the poison she needs. Close range is potentially lethal here, but long range doesn't help me much either, so let's try mid-range.'

With that, Satoshi got to the far end of the platform while Tanto was being taken out of the water below them. Sayo smirked and spread her whole palm over her bleeding wound. "Guess I need to try something a little more accurate. Ninja Art Blood Wave Jutsu." She swung her hand and the blood flew out creating a red crescent at him.

Satoshi surprised her by jumping back and over the end, looking like he was going to fall into the water. What he actually did was flip in the air and used his chakra to adhere his feet to the underside of the platform. While Sayo was still for uncertainty, Satoshi moved silently underneath her to the opposite side.

'A sneak attack?' Akane wondered, watching.

Using the same procedure he used to get under the platform, but in reverse, Satoshi got back on the topside right behind Sayo and kicked her in the back, knocking her on her knees for a moment. She got up just as quickly as she went down and turned to face him with another attack.

"Ninja Art Toxin Shroud Jutsu." She said, exhaling a small cloud of purple gas that hit Satoshi's chest. But it started to spread over him.

Satoshi quickly removed his outer yellow-orange shirt before the gas spread too much, making sure not to touch any of the gas himself, then threw it into the water. Luckily he still had his red undershirt on. "Nice try."

"Hey, I'm not out yet." Sayo defended.

The Nara nodded. "No, but you're right where I want you to be. Shadow Snare Jutsu."

Sayo jumped to here right but when she looked down she saw no jutsu. "Ha! Missed me."

"Did I?"

The young Shichou suddenly froze. 'What? How did he-?'

Satoshi grabbed the chain Tanto dropped on the platform and while she was frozen wrapped it around her tightly. "I just needed to switch sides with you so I could get to the chain and keep you trapped. I knew I would have enough time to do that with one job, so-"

Sayo, once mobile, responded by spitting at him, the spit getting into his mouth while he was speaking. "I get it, you made me get away from the chain so you could freeze me and use it against me."

Satoshi tried to spit out the spit, but the inside of his mouth was burning and his tongue became numb so he couldn't speak. 'Oh no, her saliva is poisonous too and I just swallowed some.'

"Want the antidote? It's yours if you forfeit." Sayo offered/teased.

Satoshi thought it over for a moment, then slowly jumped into the water, not even trying to land on the surface.

"Umm... winner by forfeit Sayo Shichou." Sakura announced.

Grinning triumphantly, Sayo jumped onto the land and pulled Satoshi out. "Here you go." She said, handing him a vial of blue liquid. "Swallow it, and the venom will be filtered out of your body. You might sweat a lot though in the process." Unable to move his mouth, Satoshi just nodded.

Kakashi smiled. 'Good job Sayo, though I'm surprised you didn't use your sharingan at all. Were you proving a point, or just relying on something you were more used to using?'

Since neither Satoshi or Tanto needed medical attention, they were able to go back to the audience to watch the rest of the fights. Sayo also went back up to the audience stands, passing Akane's team to get to her own. "Hey Noburo-kun, Akane. What did you think of that?"

"You did pretty good Sayo." Noburo told her.

Akane nodded. "Better than you did back in Bear Country."

"I hope you make it to the finals Slacker, because I want to fight you." Sayo added.

Akane narrowed her eyes. "Is that a threat Uchiha?"

Now Sayo looked mad. "I am no Uchiha. I am a Shichou. Don't ever forget that Slacker." She tehn walked away, annoyed.

"Sure thing Flatchest." Akane teased quietly.

"Why do you call her that?" Noburo whispered.

"Oh, back in the Academy last year when all kunoichi had to take a surprise physical, Sayo was caught with a stuffed bra."

Noburo decided not to respond, not knowing what to say anyway.

At that time Sakura was announcing the next line-up for the preliminaries. "Next match is Tatsu Aburame, Riku Kamizuru, and Mushi Subaku."

"Whoa, is that one truly random?" Akane asked.

"Why do you say that?" Noburo asked.

"When they fight you'll see what I mean."

Tatsu, Riku, and Mushi climbed onto the platform. Tatsu looked like a normal stoic Aburame, Riku looked ready to fight but less aggressive than when he faced Akane, and Mushi looked pleased with her hands on her hips.

"Ready? Begin!" Sakura announced.

Mushi extended her hands outward, but her hands were empty. Suddenly Tatsu's beetles and Riku's bees swarmed around them and came to her, but they didn't attack. Instead they hovered above her hands.

"Wait, I didn't send any commands." Riku stated, confused by this. Tatsu was just as confused but said nothing.

"You didn't, but I did." Mushi told him.

"You can't just take over my swarm." Riku said, offended.

"Looks like I just did." Mushi said, just as the bees started spinning around forming a small tornado.

"But... but how?" Riku asked.

Tatsu was also curious to this. Normally the swarms of the two insect clans could not be controlled by anyone other than the person bonded to them. Even clan heads like Shibi couldn't usurp control over the swarms belonging to other people. So for Mushi to do this, and to two different insect species at once, was unthinkable.

"I guess my pheromones are more potent than your own." Mushi said before revealing two insect wings on her lower back and flying off the platform, hovering a short distance from it.

'I guess there's no rule against flight.' Sakura thought, wondering what stance to take on this.

"Wait a minute, Suna doesn't have an insect clan." Riku stated.

"You're right, we don't." Mushi told him, putting her arms at her side but the swarms stayed by her.

Tatsu was going over everything he could regarding the purple-haired Suna kunoichi. 'I've seen her before thanks to Akane, but I've only ever seen her fight with weapons or wind. She's never hinted at having any insect-based techniques before. Fighting her just got harder.'

Riku's frown got a bit lighter. "Well I don't know about the Aburame here, but we Kamizuru aren't dependent on our insects for fighting." He then a quick set of hand signs. "Ninja Art Wax Missile Jutsu." From his mouth came out what could only be described as a large wax kunai that fired at Mushi.

Mushi dodged to her left making it look easy. "Nice try."

"It's not over yet." Riku added.

Confused, Mushi looked behind herself and saw the wax kunai turn around and reaim at her. 'A tracking jutsu?' She dodged again, and saw it turn around again in the air. 'Hmm... it's only tracking me, not the other guy. Could the bees be what's attracting it?'

Taking a chance, Mushi chose not to dodge, and when the wax kunai came to her she blocked with her right arm which had an armored cloth band covering the forearm. Upon impact the wax kunai shattered and fell into the water.

"What the heck?" Riku said, not expecting that. 'I was so certain my attack could get her.'

Mushi relaxed her arm. "So you can attack without your insects. I can too." She reached down to her calves and pulled two small rods out of her leggings. Holding one in each hand, she revealed the rods to be small fans and opened them while crossing her arms in front of her. The fans themselves looked like handheld versions of the one Temari used.

"Wind Style Storm of Scythes Jutsu."

Swinging her fans forward and down, she generated a series of wind blades that flew right at them. Unable to escape to anywhere in the area, Tatsu and Riku had little choice but to get to the wooden poles holding the platform up. As it turns out, that was a good idea, for the ropes suspending the platform along with the two other poles were ripped apart by Mushi's attack. Now the platform floated on the water and only two poles stood.

"You weren't aiming at us, you were trying to damage the arena." Tatsu stated. 'I'm not sure if that platform can stay afloat with our weight on it. But I can't stay here without being a sitting duck. My only hope is one attack.' He did two hand signs then brought his hands to his mouth. "Fire Style Fireball Jutsu." He exhaled a ball of flame that flew right towards Mushi.

Kurenai turned to Kakashi. "An Aburame that uses fire. How is that possible?" Thanks to her time with Shino, she had a good idea of what Aburame could do jutsu-wise.

Kakashi nodded. "I was surprised too. But Tatsu here chose not to get extra swarms for himself and focus on ninjutsu instead. Right now, I'd say that was a smart choice."

In normal cases when the chakra capacity of an Aburame increased they got an extra colony for their body to perform higher rank clan jutsu as well as decrease the risk of running out of insects. Tatsu had enough chakra for more than one colony, but he denied getting more added on the grounds that he wasn't sure his body could handle the physical presence of more without his movements being hindered, so he chose to learn ninjutsu as he had chakra to spare for it. With Kakashi's help, he learned how to use at least one jutsu that did not require insects at all.

Mushi did the one thing she could, she made both swarms she had taken move in front of her to take the hit for her. Beetles and bees burst into flames while she backed away from the heat. "Wind Style Invisible Thrust Jutsu." Swinging one fan she created a gust of wind that pushed the fireball away from her. Now that there was mass to it besides the flame itself, the wind didn't just power up the fire but actually made it move away from the source of wind.

The fireball of bugs landed on the platform which started to burn, thus now options of places to fight were reduced even further. Riku and Tatsu watched in horror as their swarms burned and died before their eyes, Tatsu especially feeling bad as it had been his flame that did it.

What happened next would be remembered as one of the few times an Aburame acted illogical.

Tatsu jumped from his post right at Mushi, knowing that if she dodged he was out of the match. 'I already lost my colony. I'm out of this match already, so I might as well take a page out of Akane's book and try something unexpected and hope it works.'

For some reason, maybe surprise or to humor the insect user, Mushi did not dodge, though she did summon a second set of wings for added support when they collided. Once they did they began a taijutsu fight in the air, with Tatsu trying to knock her to the ground before he fell and Mushi trying to keep herself in the air and get him off her.

Riku smirked. 'Now's my chance to get rid of both of them.' He did a set of hand signs. "Ninja Art Wax Shackles Jutsu." He spat out several globs of wax at the dueling two. Mushi saw the attack and adjusted herself so Tatsu took the hit, resulting in him being covered with quick-hardening wax meant to restrain his movements. With his limbs stuck, Mushi headbutted him making his lose his grip, resulting in Tatsu falling in the water.

Before Sakura could call Tatsu out of the match, Mushi spun in the air acrobatically and flew right at Riku like the missile he send at her previously. No place to run and no time to hide, Riku was unable to dodge and received his own headbutt that made him fall to the ground on his back.

"Winner, Mushi Subaku." Sakura announced.

Mushi smiled and landed gently, retracting her wings and putting her fans back in her leg covers as she did so. Before she got to the stands, she was faced with Riku and Tatsu who both looked pissed at her. "Relax guys, I'm not that cruel." With a wave of her hand, two swarms emerged out of the trees and went to the boys. "I spared some of your swarms when you were escaping my wind. And in case you didn't notice yet, you still have your queens."

Now both boys were placated, even if bothered. "But how did you take control of them in the first place?"

"Same way you do. I create pheromones to give insects orders. I guess mine are more potent than either of yours." Mushi told them.

As the trio went back to the others, Sakura addressed the entire crowd. "Due to the arena being heavily damaged, we will move the preliminaries indoors for the time being. Everyone follow a jounin." Yamato wasn't there to recreate the arena, and rather than wait to go get him Naruto ordered that the prelims continue indoors for now.

With that everyone went back inside. The main room of the building they all came to after the second round was smaller than the one Naruto's generation had used, but still bigger than what the past two fights had been permitted.

"Alright everyone, fights will go as told before but this time the out-of-bounds area is anywhere except the open area between the balconies. Let's see who fight in the next round." Sakura said before pointing to another screen.

After a random selection, it revealed the line-up.

"Yoshimaru Matsumune, Noburo Sentaka, and Fuzei Kusaka, you're up." Sakura told them.

Akane was wide-eyed. Noburo was about to fight the Gobi.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter Forty-Three: Preliminary Round Three

Noburo began to head down to the arena when he felt a hand grab his wrist. Confused, he turned his head and saw it was Akane who stopped him.

"Noburo, for obvious reasons I can't and won't say much here, but I will say be careful. Fuzei-chan may be a lesser number than me, but she is one of my kind and..." She paused, like she was trying to stop herself from saying more than she was allowed to. "Just be careful please."

He nodded. "I will Akane-chan." He then descended into the arena. 'I have to fight a bijuu? Will this be like fighting Akane-chan or much harder? And what can this one do that Akane can't? She's going to be my main focus in this fight, though I can't let the other guy get me when I'm distracted.'

Noburo, Fuzei, and Yoshimaru stood in a triangle pattern awaiting the signal to begin. Noburo had his hands ready to go for his gear and hitai-ate right away, wanting to strke fast and get it over with. Yoshimaru looked much like Lee would have and even smiled. Fuzei stood relaxed and almost looked bored since her hands were still in her pockets.

'My cousin and my teammate, who do I cheer for?' Akane asked herself as she looked down, then glanced at Ichi for a moment. 'And will I have to decide a second time?'

"Ready? Begin!" Sakura announced, starting the match.

Right away Noburo grabbed a kunai with his right hand and removed his hitai-ate with his left hand, putting it in his right pocket, while trying to dash at Fuzei, hoping to get to her before she could retaliate. But at the same time Yoshimaru came at him unarmed, and he came pretty fast. Reacting on instinct, Noburo tried to block the attack with his kunai and a kick, taking his attention away from his original target.

'I thought he would go after her too. I didn't think he'd use my focus on her as an opening to get me.' The blue-haired boy thought, realizing his mistake.

Yoshimaru took no damage from Noburo's block thanks to metal arm guards and training-acquired endurance. He smiled like he had been tickled instead and using a twisting maneuver with his left arm forced Noburo to drop his kunai like how a swordsman would force his opponent to drop his sword.

"Hey, what's with your hair?" Yoshimaru asked as he pulled back his left arm and attacked with his right aiming for Noburo's shoulder. He saw that Noburo's hair was longer, now reaching past his shoulders.

"You're about to find out." He told his opponent before backing up. As he did he glanced at Fuzei to make sure she wasn't attacking him while he was distracted like Yoshimaru had done, but so far she just leaned against the wall watching them. 'What? She's just... wait, she's waiting for us to tire each other out then strike down the one who wins. Clever.' She exhaled a visible burst of breath like it was cold but that seemed to be all she was doing.

Unable to focus on her instead of Yoshimaru, Noburo returned his focus to his current tactic. Unfortunately, Yoshimaru was moving too fast for him to ready a jutsu, but he was buying Noburo time to grow out his hair. His hair did grow at an accelerated rate, usually fasted when he used chakra or the few moments right after he removed the seal, but it never grew to a usable length in mere seconds. He needed time to either ready a jutsu to make it grow faster, or keep his opponent occupied until it grew out on its own, which was the least expensive choice chakra-wise but also the riskier. Right now though he had no other choice.

Yoshimaru upheld a quick-paced routine of alternating left and right strikes, and in no time Noburo got the pattern and blocked just as quickly. Suddenly though Yoshimaru switched his right punch for a right kick, hitting under where Noburo raised his arm to guard and landing a hard blow to his left ribcage.

Kurenai smiled at her student's progress. She wasn't a taijutsu expert, but this was a style she could help her student in, one called the Tokaken. It was a fighting style that was intended not only for getting around the enemy's offense, but to use it against them as well. To do this the user had to establish a pattern of predictably, and once the opponent found the pattern and acted accordingly the user switched tactics thus throwing the enemy off-guard. It was an unpredictable and highly adaptable fighting style, one that worked well with or against any other tactic, in theory of course. It was not invulnerable.

Noburo winced and clutched his bruised ribs, fortunately able to resist falling down but he was momentarily immobile and Yoshimaru intended to use that while he could. He immediately did a quick set of hand signs then hit the ground. "Ninja Art Vibration Jutsu." Yoshimaru said, but nothing visible happened.

Noburo sure felt something happen though. He felt the ground start to tremble, like a light tremor was happening. But there were no cracks on the ground and the tremor was nowhere near strong enough to throw him off balance. 'What is he planning?'

Yoshimaru then started to attack with alternating kicks which Noburo backed up from. With his hair long enough now that it wouldn't consume so much chakra to grow it out more, he readied a jutsu. "Ninja Art Twin Eel Jutsu." His hair split in two and formed two serpentine shapes on either side of his head.

The two hair eels snapped at Yoshimaru but the boy was able to jump out of their range. Unfortunately for him they could grow longer and thus he couldn't dodge forever. And he knew that taijutsu was virtually worthless against something made out of hair so attacking was pointless. Even so, Yoshimaru didn't look at all bothered. He just kept attacking and blocking, using his legs a little more now.

Noburo wiped some sweat off his forehead then reached for two kunai. His taijutsu style was less mobile than Yoshimaru's but no less effective. His body was on defense while his hair was on offense, or vice versa but right now the former applied.

A fight went on with Yoshimaru kicking and Noburo's hair trying to bite him. As the fight continued both started to sweat a lot but Noburo began to feel nauseous. 'What's happening to me? It feels like my organs are rattling around inside my body.' He felt a spell of dizziness and Yoshimaru used that opening to land a solid hit to his collar, making him fall on his back.

On the ground, Noburo felt the floor still vibrating from earlier and realization hit him. 'That jutsu of his, it wasn't supposed to affect the ground but me. He send sound waves into the ground that affected my inner body and ear. That must be why he was kicking so much, to keep his feet off the ground and away from his own jutsu.'

Yoshimaru wiped his forehead. "Still want to continue?"

Noburo sat up. "Yeah, because you're looking pretty worn out yourself."

"You're looking worse." Yoshimaru replied.

"Hey, can someone turn on the AC? It's like a sauna in here." Shinbou complained from the railing, holding the collar of her kimono open to vent some heat. From the looks of things she wasn't the only one who was a little too warm for comfort.

'It _is_ hot in here. I haven't been moving enough to be sweating this much. But why would it-?' Noburo asked himself before looking at Fuzei, who was still leaning against the wall watching them and exhaling visible bursts of breath. 'It's got to be her, she's warming the place up. It's too warm for her breath to be seen. So instead of waiting for us to finish each other off, she's actually harming us without us even knowing it. She must be dangerous in the field as a real enemy.'

Yoshimaru came to a stop, looking rather beat despite the fact he took few hits. He too had noticed that Fuzei was doing more than just watching. 'I better go after her before I finish this guy off. Maybe then the heat will reduce.' Yoshimaru then ran at the Iwa kunoichi who didn't look intimidated by him.

Fuzei finally stepped away from the wall and blocked Yoshimaru's upcoming fist with her right leg, performing a move that looked quite acrobatic and flexible in the process. Without even pausing she brought her leg down forcing his arm to go with it and when he was in position she leaned down and headbutted the back of his head. Yoshimaru was down, and he did not get up.

Sakura was tempted to call him out but she did not. 'There are still two more contestants and by the time either falls he might recover. As long as he's not endangered by their fight he should be fine and allowed the chance to get back in. For all I know he's feigning it.'

Noburo and Fuzei stared each other down, Noburo looking ready to fight but not sure how to best attack her while Fuzei still looked bored. She exhaled another visible burst of air, this time right at Noburo. He batted the air to get rid of it, and recognized it. "Steam? Is that how you've been heating up the place? You've been breathing steam?"

"You've caught on. And I'd say you won't last much longer in this environment hair-boy."

"Oh yeah? Try this and tell me that." He said before readying a new jutsu. "Ninja Art Octopus Jutsu." His hair spread into six tendrils of hair, but they barely moved. "What the...?"

"Tell me, how useful can hair be in a steam-filled environment?" Fuzei asked rhetorically. "The hot moisture in the air combined with your own sweat, I'd say your hair's about as useful when wet as Shukaku's sand is."

"Announce it to the world why don't you?" Shukaku groaned quietly.

Noburo grabbed a kunai and cut off his hair before putting his hitai-ate back on to keep it from growing back. "Hair's not my only weapon Steampunk."

"Steam's not my only weapon either." Fuzei said before kicking him in the stomach. Noburo fell on his back and Fuzei swung her leg again in an effort to drive an ax-kick down on him, hindering him so he wouldn't get back up. 'I don't want to cripple him, Akane would not be happy, so I'll just keep him from getting back up for a little while. Heh, Steampunk, I like that.'

Akane was indeed not happy, for she was leaning over the railing gripping onto it tightly as she watched. "C'mon Noburo-kun, you can't be beaten that easily." She told herself.

Noburo rolled out of the way before Fuzei's foot could reconnect to him, and got up ignoring the pain in his gut to hit her back. Fuzei blocked with her leg again, and when he followed up with another punch she blocked with her other leg. 'Strange, she's only using her legs. Is there a taijutsu style that uses only kicks or something?'

There wasn't, since ninja prioritized their arms and hands so much in combat. A fighting style limited to nothing but kicks would not work well against someone with less restrictions. But there were a few styles where the lower body was a vital part of the offensive aspects. Fuzei was using a style called Tokuteken, a style that used kicks and legs for offensive and arms primarily for defense. It fit into her horse nature very well.

Noburo went for his supply scroll and unsealed his family sword, a blade that looked like half of a pair of scissors. The blade itself was like a normal zanbato, but with a loop on the handle to make swinging it easier. Grabbing the handle between the blade and the loop he swung at Fuzei, but she blocked with her right arm.

Rather than hear metal cutting flesh, there was a clan of metal hitting metal and Fuzei did not look hurt by taking the hit. Noburo could feel right away that he had something under her sleeve to take the hit for her, but he had no idea what. She swung her arm to deflect his sword then pointed it right at him with her fist clench. "Steam Spray." She said before a gust of hot air shot out of her sleeve right at him, blinding him momentarily. Using the opportunity she came at him and kicked him down.

Akane's grip on the railing tightened. Ichi noticed her tension. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, it's Noburo-kun I'm worried about."

"He'll be fine." He tried to reassure her.

Akane lightly shook her head. "You don't understand. Fuzei-chan's got the strongest legs out of all of us. Her kicks are like a horse on steroids. If she hit him the wrong way Noburo's organs could be destroyed."

"She wouldn't go that far, would she?" Ichi asked, understanding his teammates fear.

"I think not, but not all damage is intentional." Akane replied, looking back at Noburo.

Sakura took a moment to quickly glance at Yoshimaru and saw he was still down. Twitching a bit like he was trying to regain consciousness but still down. She was forced to leave him alone in case this was a strategy for him, not the first time someone had tried such a thing in these exams.

Noburo got back on his feet, but he was worn out. The heat was getting to him and he was weary from fighting two separate opponents, but he would not surrender. 'I'll fought Akane-chan before, I can handle this girl.' He told himself. 'Of course, I've never actually beaten Akane-chan, but still... this girl's got to have a weakness. What is it?' He then got an idea. 'It's worth a shot.'

Reaching back into his sealing scroll he unsealed a bottle. Fuzei saw it an looked confused. "What now? Need to wash your hair?"

"No, but I think you could use a little mousse." Noburo said before opening the bottle and throwing the contents at her. Fuzei jumped but the substance still covered her hakama and boots.

"This is your best idea? Throwing hair gel at me?" Fuzei complained, feeling disappointed at the lack of creativity he displayed.

"Who said that was ordinary mousse?" Noburo said just before grabbing his discarded hair, channeling chakra into it to make it behave like a whip, and swung it to wrap around her legs.

On reflex Fuzei tried to jump to avoid this, but her legs faltered and she barely got off the ground, and because of the failure to jump she stumbled and landed on her back painfully. 'What the hell? Why couldn't I jump? My legs didn't want to move properly. Did that mousse do something to my legs?"

"Ninja Art Seaweed Entrapment Jutsu." Noburo called out, making the hair wrapped around Fuzei's legs spread out and wrap her up completely. Fuzei's upper body was still mobile so she resisted, but in the end she looked like a blue mummy. Noburo threw more mousse at her in the process to make it easier, as the mousse hardened like cement when exposed to air or chakra. The mousse had basically turned Fuzei's pants solid and stuck to her boots which hindered her leg and ankle movements. Then it combined with his hair to strengthen the jutsu, making the bindings more effective.

Her movements restricted, Fuzei resorted to trying to steam herself out of her bindings. The steam had few places to escape the hair bindings and was dissolving the mousse, but before it could Noburo put his foot on her to keep her down, pointing his scissor sword at her heart for extra measure. "Call it ref." He said, hoping Sakura would end the match before Fuzei got free and potentially hurt herself even for a bijuu.

Sakura looked at the two. 'In a real life battle the boy would already be able to kill her and if the other one was waiting for something...' She looked to Yoshiamru who had his eyes open but was still down. "Match is over. Winner is Noburo Sentaka."

'He did it. Noburo-kun beat my cousin.' Akane thought in amazement and relief, letting go of the railing and leaning back.

Hanabi smirked seeing her student and neice's response to the blue-haired boy's fight and victory. 'She reminds me of her parents so much it's hard to remember she is the new kyuubi.'

Noburo did a hand seal and the hair around Fuzei unraveled. To Sakura's surprise she saw some hair unravel around Yoshimaru too, explaining why a taijutsu specialist had a hard time getting back on his feet. 'I didn't even see him tie down Yoshimaru. This kid's got some skills.'

Noburo offered out his hand to Fuzei. "No hard feelings?"

She took it to get back up. "Feel proud, not too many people can beat me."

"I've trained with your cousin. I kinda know what to expect."

"Good luck in the finals Hair Boy." Fuzei said with a smirk as she stretched her legs and walked away.

Yoshimaru walked out of the arena alongside Noburo, rubbing the back of his head. "I better work on my endurance a bit more. I still have a headache."

"You better see a medic. Hits like that can give concussions." Noburo advised, resealing his supplies with a strained expression.

"Good idea." Yoshimaru said before leaving to the healing ward. He paused for a moment. "What about you?"

Noburo shrugged. "I'm fine, a bit sore but I'll manage."

Yoshimaru looked him over. "You don't look so good. You should see a medic too."

Noburo wanted to object, to say he'd just play thru the pain, but there was a sense of internal discomfort he was having a hard time ignoring. "Maybe you're right." He said before the two boys walked off.

His teammates saw he leave the room instead of join them up in the alcoves. "Where's he going?" Akane asked.

Hanabi activated her byakugan to see for herself. At that time Akane glanced to Fuzei on the other alcove rejoining her teammates. Fuzei didn't look to be hurt or too winded, but she was a quick healer like Akane was so that was to be expected.

The selection board went off and three more names were randomly selected which Sakura called off. "Would Mida Sudachi, Shukaku Subaku, and Safui come down here?"

In ten seconds the next fighters were in position. Gathered in a triangle were Shukaku with her arms crossed and a lethal expression, the boy from Yugiko's team already in a taijutsu stance and a cautious look in his eyes, and Mida with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face.

"Who's the boy again?" Akane asked, knowing she had seen him before but not recognizing him.

"He's on Yugiko-chan's team." Ichi answered. "She said he was Safui, but she didn't say what he was good at."

"Yugiko-_chan_?" Akane repeated.

"What? You call her that." The black-haired boy defended.

"She's my cousin. What's your excuse?"

"Ready? Begin!" Sakura declared, cutting Ichi off.

"Akane-chan? Ichi?" Hanabi said, drawing her student's attention away from the fight. "Noburo's in the medic wing."

"He must have been hurt more in the fight then he looked." Ichi analyzed.

Akane looked much more worried. "Sensei, can we go check up on him?"

Hanabi looked pensive but not without understanding. "Technically you could, but you should save it for after the matches finish. There's no way of knowing how long these things last and if you're not back by the time your match starts you forfeit."

"I can send a clone to check up on him can't I?" Akane offered.

"I... I cannot find a flaw in that action." Hanabi said.

Grateful, Akane made a clone and had it go to the medic wing following Noburo's scent while the real Akane went back to watching the match.

* * *

"So what exactly are you feeling?" A medical ninja named Kumiko asked as Noburo laid in bed. She was older than Sakura but younger than Shizune, dressed in an anbu outfit with her hitai-ate used to tie her hair in a ponytail. Her eyes were leaf green and her hair was purple like Anko's but with a blue sheen to it, but her most distinguishing feature was probably the fact that her four-foot ponytail was on the left side of her head, giving her an asymmetrical look.

"Some internal cramps." Noburo replied, his hands on his stomach where it hurt worst.

"On the scale of one to ten?" Kumiko asked as she got some latex gloves on. "You aren't allergic to latex are you?"

"Not that I know of, and three but getting worse." He told her.

"Noburo-kun..." Akane's clone asked as she cautiously approached him.

"Akane-chan?" He asked, surprised to see her. "Shouldn't you be-?" He was cut off by her hugging him.

"I'm glad you're alright." She whispered.

"Umm... if I was alright I wouldn't be here. Could you get off? You're making it worse." He said, grimacing from the pressure to his abdomen her hug was creating.

Akane's clone backed off and Kumiko gave her a look saying 'Don't do that again' before she cast a diagnostic jutsu to figure out the case of Noburo's ailment. Not even ten seconds in she gasped and stopped. "Dear Kami-sama it's a good thing you came here right away."

"What's wrong?" Noburo and Akane's clone asked, afraid of what could spook a medic.

"The damage you received in your fight has affected one of your kidneys. Unless we get you in surgery right away, you could lose it entirely."


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter Forty-Four: Preliminary Round Four and Five

"Surgery?" Akane and Noburo repeated in unison.

"Nothing too major, but we need to do this for maximum effect." Kumiko told the shocked genin.

"Why? Can't you heal me without cutting open my body?" Noburo asked.

Before the nurse could respond Akane put her hand on his arm. "It's a little more complicated then that Noburo-kun. Baa-chan said normal medical jutsu has an easier time healing wounds on the surface than inside the body. Internal problems can be fixed without surgery but someone has to be close to her level for it to happen and even then it takes a while to work as the muscle surrounding the kidneys would absorb most of the chakra."

"That's right." Kumiko agreed. "Surgery is our only option with our levels and the direct exposure will allow the healing process to be quicker and smoother. Don't worry you'll be put under anesthesia so you won't feel a thing. But we need to do it quick before we risk losing the kidney entirely. In some cases the other kidney can even shut down with it."

Nervous, Noburo nodded then looked back at Akane. "Akane-chan, don't hate your cousin for this. I'm pretty sure she didn't intend it."

"Oh I don't hate Fuzei-chan for this, but I am tempted to prank her while she's here for this." Akane replied.

"Why am I not surprised?" Noburo asked, rolling his eyes.

"You better get going, we need to start on him right away." Kumiko told Akane after hitting a button to alert other medics to come assist her.

Akane nodded then looked back at her teammate. "Get well soon Noburo-kun." She then surprised him by giving a small kiss on his cheek before dispelling.

Noburo was so surprised by that he wasn't even fully aware when the medics put him under and started to treat him.

* * *

The real Akane meanwhile had been watching the match and jerked for a moment when the clone's memories came to her.

Hanabi saw this and came up to her niece. "You okay Akane-chan?"

The redhead nodded but didn't take her eyes off the fight. "Yeah, I... I was told that Noburo-kun has to have surgery because my cousin really hurt his kidney with her attacks."

"And?" Hanabi added.

Akane looked at her aunt now. "And? And what?"

The Hyuuga heiress smiled. "You're blushing. I've been around your mom enough to know that means something. What else happened?"

Akane looked away. "Later. I want to see this first."

Hanabi dropped the subject but not her grin. 'Oh something happened alright. And it's only a matter of time before I'll find out.'

Down in the arena it was a free-for-all. All three contestants were fighting each other at once, so singling one out to get them out early or anything like that. Each of them were going after both opponents together, primarily Shukaku.

The Suna kunoichi in the beginning had grabbed one of the scrolls on the right of her hip and unfurled it, showing quiet a few storage seals that all looked alike. Without wiping any blood on them two seals had released a great amount of sand into the arena, not enough to cover it but enough to give her something to use.

'I had a feeling one of Gaara-sama's kids would be able to use sand.' Sakura thought as she saw this. 'I just expected her to use a gourd like he does, not storage scrolls like Tenten. This could make the amount of sand she carries with her limitless.'

"Sand Shuriken." Shukaku said, waving her hand just before projectiles shot out of the sand at her feet like discs. Mida ducked under two that headed for her and Safui used his arm guards to block two that were aimed at him. Shukaku held out her hand with her palm down and fingers spread, looking like she was trying to grab something. "Sand Uprising." The sand hovered over the ground until Shukaku raised her hand, making the sand hover higher. When her arm was completely upright the sand was lifted up to the ceiling.

'Oh crap.' Mida and Safui thought, already predicting what was about to come. Both reacted in separate ways though.

Shukaku dropped the sand, using it in an effort to crush them enough that they would be unable to fight further. While this version of the ichibi was not above killing their opponent, she didn't like doing it just because she could. Mida immediately responded with an earth dome jutsu to cover herself and Safui just braced his arms over his head as the sand came down.

The sand as expected did little to Mida because of her defense, but everyone was expecting it to have some sort of impact on Safui. To Shukaku's surprise he shook it off, literally.

'I must not have used enough sand.' Shukaku thought before retracting her sand. Safui relaxed and Mida emerged from her dome, melding it back into the floor. With her scroll still in hand Shukaku unsealed twice the amount of sand she had before, now giving her the same amount Gaara had used in his own preliminary round.

Mida meanwhile removed her golden chain and held it like a whip. "A sand user huh? Like the current Kazekage?"

"I'm his daughter, and the fourth sand-user to come from Suna." Shukaku stated. "And maybe the strongest of them all."

"Well at least we know you have pride. Now let's see if you have the skills to back it up." Mida said before swinging her chain at the tanuki-eyed girl. Shukaku responded by raising a wall of sand to take the hit. The chain knocked a few particles of sand off but the wall remained solid.

"It appears I do." Shukaku commented.

Mida didn't look bothered. "I just wanted to know how strong your sand was." Before she could react some kunai were thrown at her from Safui. One merely gave her a small cut on her left calf but the other hit her upper left arm hard, hitting to the bone. Grimacing, she pulled out the kunai and ignored the pain and bleeding. "My turn." She said, holding the kunai so he could clearly see it, and to his shock it turned to solid gold in her hands before she threw it.

Safui blocked it with his arm guards but couldn't resist picking up the kunai and examining it closely. 'It's really gold. How did she do that?' While he was busy Mida took the opportunity to patch up her wound before she lost too much blood.

Shukaku saw the injury as an opportunity and tried to get the Iwa kunoichi. "Sand Cannon." A large orb of dense sand was fired at her, but Mida's chain sort of melted and reformed into the shape of a golden centurion shield to absorb and deflect the impact. "You seem to have a strange ability to manipulate gold."

"Oh I can do more than manipulate it." Mida stated before stepping forward and placing both hands on the sand covering the floor. To Shukaku's horror all the sand turned into gold, not gold particles but a solid sheet of gold. "I can create it too."

Shukaku tried not to show it, but she was panicking. 'This girl can completely destroy my sand. All of it. I have to finish her off before she gets the chance.'

Her hands still on the gold sheet, Mida manipulated it into creating a set of arms that reached up and grabbed ahold of Shukaku's scrolls. "I see you carry your sand in these. What if you don't have any?"

Sand claws formed over the Suna kunoichi's hands and with them she slashed the gold hands away from her hips. "I never said all my sand on in these."

'Sand armor, just like her father.' Sakura noted.

"Sand on your body? Ooh bad idea Black-Eyes." Mida taunted, briefly glancing at Safui. He was crouched and looked like he was readying something she couldn't identify. 'Not good. Maybe I should attack him, or is that what he wants? Better get her to attack him instead to find out, but how?'

Shukaku caught Mida's glance and also noticed Safui preparing something. 'She's the bigger threat, but he's potentially the easier target.' The reborn ichibi thought before unsealing more sand to use but keeping it away from Mida. 'If I'm right she has to actually touch the sand to change it, otherwise I'd be gilded in my sand armor by now.' Shukaku's eyes got a gleam to them just then. 'Oh I'm good.'

Shukaku gathered her sand on both sides of her, raising it enough to create two mounds of it beside her. Both of her opponents were cautious but neither of them could do anything with it being away from them like this. Shukaku outstretched her arms and pulled them back. "Twin Sand Coffin." She calmly said before thrusting her arms forward in front of her, making the sand shoot out at both Mida and Safui, entrapping them both tightly up to their necks.

To her surprise Mida smiled. "Clever, you think I can't counter without trapping myself do you? Well you are right, but that's not going to stop me." Suddenly the sand encasing her began a white-grey color and solid, but it looked quite soft. Mida poked her arms out easily and tore away at the substance, freeing herself. Because the sand around her had also been around Safui he managed to get free too.

Shukaku was wide-eyed. "What the hell? You turned my sand into..." She sniffed the air out of reflex. "Clay?"

Mida smiled. "Gold may be my favorite mineral, but I never said it was the only one I could create."

Mushi looked like she had just realized something. "Ah, I bet I know what she is."

"What's that?" Tatsu asked, standing next to her at this time.

"It's a long story. You see, the Shodai Kazekage had a special kekkei genkai that allowed him to alchemically alter the minerals in the ground around him or even the weapons he held, giving him a near infinite variety of earth-based ninjutsu and even a form of metal element ninjutsu. The Shodai Tsuchikage arranged a marriage between his son and the Kazekage's daughter in hopes of allying the villages and gaining this kekkei genkai, but they found out too late none of the Kazekage's kids or grandkids had inherited the bloodline. Iwa didn't take this well and they've been bitter to us ever since, especially the tsuchikage's family which took a lot of bad publicity for this."

Tatsu thought it over and realized what the purple-haired kunoichi was getting at. "So you think that girl is a descendant of the Shodai Kazekage who by chance did inherit his kekkei genkai."

"I've never heard of another way to turn sand into gold or clay, have you?" Mushi replied.

Thanks to her good hearing Shukaku heard all of this, and suspected Mushi secretly intended her to hear this. 'If this is true then all my sand jutsu is useless, even my secret weapon. I'll have to resort to physical combat if I don't want to forfeit.'

'Uh oh, Shukaku's in trouble.' Sari, the Suna jounin and a great admirer of Gaara, thought to herself. 'Like Gaara-sama, she has a difficult time fighting without sand. Unless she gets lucky, she may end up losing this one.'

Shukaku grabbed one of the scrolls on the left side of her hip and unsealed something new. It wasn't sand, but a covered glass jar filled with red things that looked wet.

'What on earth is that?' Mida and Safui thought along with several other people who saw the jar.

Mushi sighed and rolled her eyes. "Great, she's using _that_."

"That what?" Tatsu asked curiously.

"Just watch." Mushi said. 'Part of me wishes you were using your secret weapon instead of this sis, but I suppose under the circumstances this option is the more useful to you.'

Shukaku opened the lid and right away those with sensitive noses gagged, even in the stands. Akane turned away covering her nose with her eyes closed. Shiba and her partners tasted bile. Tatsu's insects on the other hand seemed to get excited.

Mida and Safui just smelled something foul. "What is that?"

"You really want to know?" Shukaku taunted before reaching in and pulling out two maroon-colored things that looked like organs.

"Are those kidneys?" Safui asked, almost losing his concentration for what he had set up to use in this match.

"Not exactly. These are spleens. See for yourself." The Suna kunoichi said before tossing the organs at her opponents. Mida shrieked and dodged the projectile, while the other one merely bounced off of Safui like there was a force field around him. That reaction immediately got the reborn ichibi's attention. Using her sand she grabbed the dropped organ and threw it again, only for the same thing to happen.

Curious, Hanabi activated her byakugan. 'Strange, I see a dome of chakra around him that looks an awful lot like a Rotation, only it's not in motion. Hmm... looks like since Kumo can't take our eyes they've settled on mimicking our jutsu. I better talk to Oniisan right away.' With that she silently walked away, unnoticed by her two students.

Mida noticed the invisible force field around Safui too. 'Now that I think about it, he hasn't made any offensive moves yet. Is he waiting for us to tire out to finish us off?' Feeling confident the Iwa kunoichi decided to focus on the Kumo ninja, once she figured out how to get thru his barrier of course.

"Hey, gold girl." Shukaku quietly called out to Mida, who turned towards the raccoon-eyed kunoichi. "I've got an idea on how to beat him, but I'll need your cooperation. Could you please turn this gold back into sand for me?"

Mida nodded. "Sure, it's not like I can't turn it back into gold if you use it against me." She knelt down and touched the gold on the floor and with her chakra converted it back to ordinary sand, which Shukaku recalled. "What do you need it for?"

"This." Shukaku said before thrusting her arm out and making the sand hover over Safui before dropping on him. The chakra dome held tru and protected him, but the sand stayed in place covering it as well, leaving only a door-sized space open so the kunoichi could see him.

"What is this supposed to do?" Mida asked.

"I noticed he's barely moved at all except maybe to blink. I'm suspecting that if he does move this dome protecting him will collapse and he'll be vulnerable. When that happens, my sand will trap him and he'll be out of the match."

Mida nodded in understanding, since even now Safui was standing still albeit looking nervous. With the sand over him he couldn't risk releasing his dome and trying a countermethod. "Okay, but how are you going to make him move?"

"That's easy." Shukaku said before extending a set of sand arms at Mida and having them grab her tan shorts then yank them down to her ankles, exposing her dark purple panties right in clear view of Safui. Mida screamed in embarrassment and tried to cover herself, and at the same time Safui had a nosebleed and faltered in his stance.

Shukaku grinned when she saw the dome of sand fall down on the Kumo shinobi, proving her theory on the protective dome. "Sand Coffin." She said, forcing the sand to constrict around Safui leaving his head out, then she moved the sand to the far side of the room away from Mida so she couldn't free him again.

Mida herself was too busy putting her shorts back on to think of helping Safui. "What the hell were you thinking?" She glared at the sand user.

Shukaku was undaunted. "That he's a boy and thus vulnerable to a 'flash' attack." She made the sand tighten around Safui until he passed out.

"Case in point, the Sexy Jutsu." Akane said to herself, agreeing with her cousin.

Unconvinced, Mida looked ready to turn Shukaku herself to gold. Without a word she grabbed her chain and morphed the end of it with her chakra into a gold blade that looked like a scimitar and an axe combined, with a chain in place of a handle. She starting swinging the chain around like a rope and managed to hit Shukaku's side with it, though her sand armor and leather vest took the damage for her.

'Interesting weapon, allows her to keep distance while attacking me and protecting herself. Too bad for her she has both her hands to control it, meaning she shouldn't be able to destroy my sand this time.' Shukaku thought before collecting her sand from Safui, ensuring he was indeed passed out in the process. "Sand Dragon." She said with her right arm pointed straight up, her hand making a clawed expression.

The sand gathered to create a giant serpent that loomed over Shukaku. Mida swung her chain-blade at the construct but she only scratched it. Shukaku swiftly swung her arm straight down to make it parallel with the floor, and the dragon lunged at Mida. The Iwa kunoichi had no choice but to turn her weapon into a shield to deflect the blow and scatter the sand beast back into sand, her shield obviously now transformed into a metal much sturdier than gold.

In that moment Shukaku ran right to her, intending on taking advantage of Mida's opening. 'My taijutsu is sub-par but it should be enough to take her down if I land one good hit when she's vulnerable.'

Mida saw this coming and knew she couldn't block it, so she responded a different way and briefly freed one arm in order to thrust a punch out when Shukaku got close. Shukaku's fist connected with Mida's abdomen while Mida's fist connected with Shukaku's nose. A crunch sound was heard and both girls collapsed together, covered by Shukaku's sand.

Several gasps were in the air and Sakura became uncertain of how to call the match. "The first genin to get to their feet in ten seconds will be declared the winner. If that doesn't happen this match will be declared a tie with no one advancing."

Both Shukaku and Mida struggled to get back to their feet, moving shakily like they had really been hurt in that last conflict. Mida however threw in one more punch to Shukaku, thus buying her the time to get to her feet first.

"Winner is Mida Sudachi." Sakura declared.

"Damn." Shukaku complained, holding her hand over her bleeding nose. "Good hit gold girl."

"You too, but it's going to take a lot more than that to take me down since I'm going to be tsuchikage some day." Mida groaned, clutching her stomach.

"For the last time Mida I'm the next tsuchikage and you know it!" Kyoko yelled at her comrade.

Mida just smiled at the reborn yonbi. "Not if I beat you to it you're not."

Medic nin came to their sides. "Do either of you need medical care?"

Shukaku shook her head. "I heal quickly, I'll be fine in a few moments." She then adjusted her nose, creating a loud almost sickening sound when the bone went back in place. "Especially now."

"I think I'm fine too." Mida added.

The medics left them alone then, even though another set were taking Safui away since he was unconscious, and the two kunoichi went back to the alcoves to watch the next match. "For the record Sudachi-san, I'm the one of us going to become kage. I'm going to be Kazekage someday, just like my father and his father."

"Good luck." Mida replied, but it didn't sound like a taunt. More like encouragement.

The name selection board quickly announced the next fight. Shiba Inuzuka, Isato Soraue, and Akane Uzumaki.

Akane and Shiba immediately looked at each other. 'We have to fight each other?' They both thought, not liking the idea of fighting their best friend to get a promotion.

"You going Akane-san?" Ichi asked.

Akane slowly nodded and jumped over the balcony edge, landing in the arena which was now sand-free thanks to Shukaku recollecting and resealing it. She tried to look ready, but there was a clear hint of hesitation on her face.

"Good luck Akane-chan." Naruto whispered, unsure if she heard him or not.

Shiba came down as well, accompanied by her fox and dog partners Sassha and Mina. Isato, a boy from Iwa and the teammate of Fuzei and Kyoko, went down as well, him being the one looking the most ready for this.

"Akane-chan-" Shiba started, but the redhead cut her off.

"Shiba-chan, do your best. I know you can do it. Just pretend it's one of our normal spars and you'll be alright against me." She said with a friendly grin.

Shiba was surprised. 'She wants me to participate? I thought maybe I should withdraw so I wouldn't have to fight her.' She felt greatly reassured that Akane wanted her to make an effort, even if it meant Akane herself had to risk not making it to chuunin for her friend's sake.

"Right. Good luck Akane-chan."

"And don't you go easy on me." Akane added.

"Ready? Begin!" Sakura announced.

Akane reacted first by throwing two kunai at Isato, who held up his right hand casually and somehow caused the kunai to deflect. This was different than when Safui had used a barrier and made the projectiles bounce off it, this time the kunai moved like they had been redirected or their trajectory changed. The kunai even looped around and he caught both with his hands, holding them like they were actually his weapons.

"Nice sword." Isato said to Shiba, then suddenly her sword flew out of its sheath and came to him, hovering in front of him for a moment before dropping to the floor. He kicked it behind himself to keep it away from her.

"You must have that magnetic bloodline I've heard of." Akane said.

"All your weapons are useless against me." Isato told her.

Akane shook her head. "Silly boy, Shiba-chan and I don't need metal to fight."

"Four Leg Jutsu." Shiba said, making herself look more animalistic. "This guy first Akane-chan? Then each other?"

"Sounds good to me. Repeat Shadow Clone Jutsu." Akane replied, creating three clones.

"Fools. I can do so much more than just take your weapons from you. I have several of my own." Isato stated before grabbing his dog tags around his neck. With some chakra he activated the hidden seal on them and released something covered in smoke. "Say hello to my little friend."


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter Forty-Five: Preliminary Round Five And Six

"Hokage-sama?"

Naruto had been watching his daughter fight when someone addressed him, and he didn't really want to take his eyes of the match. "Yes?" He replied, still watching his daughter like he thought a good father would. He at least recognized the voice, it was Hanabi.

"I need to talk to you in private. I'm a little... concerned about something that could risk a war."

That sure got Naruto's attention. "Just a moment." He hated doing this, but as hokage this wasn't something he could delay hearing about. 'I just hope I can at least see how this fight ends. Good luck Akane-chan.'

He got away from the balcony and joined Hanabi in a room away from anyone else. "What's on your mind Hanabi?"

"I take it you saw the Kumo boy use some sort of chakra defense in the last fight right?" Hanabi started, and Naruto nodded. "Ordinary eyes couldn't see it, but my byakugan saw a dome of chakra surrounding him. A dome not unlike a Hyuuga Rotation, but without the spinning involved."

"Well with all the jutsus out there in the world some are bound to be similar." Naruto casually noted.

"Maybe, but there is a problem here with the similarity. I don't need to tell you how proud my clan is, and if they hear that Kumo has a jutsu that mimics our own they will not have the same reply to it you just did."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, they would be suspicious and possibly paranoid over their jutsu being stolen or reverse-engineered or something. And if they get bad enough the other clans will start to wonder if Kumo is doing the same with other clan jutsu."

Hanabi nodded. "So without some plan to control the damage, tension could escalate until there's either a cry for war or the clans start to think you're too lenient a hokage to hold the job anymore. I can withhold the information of this from my clan if you officially order me to, so that way I can't be held on treason charges against my clan, but that might only delay this."

Naruto put his hand on his chin. "You're right, something needs to be done. And at the same time we can't ignore the possibility Kumo is trying to take our jutsu for themselves if not out bloodlines anymore. But I don't want to risk going to war when it was hard enough avoiding the last one. Come by our house tonight when Akane-chan's asleep and we can discuss this with Hinata-chan and baa-chan to find the best response. And yes, you're ordered to keep silent on this to anyone else."

"Right Hokage-sama." Hanabi said to be official. "Now let's get back to the match. Think Akane-chan's won yet?"

"I hope not. I'd hate to miss that. By the way, give this to her when it's over." He handed his sister-in-law a small white box with a letter taped to it.

"What is it?" Hanabi asked as she accepted the box.

"That's for her to know."

* * *

The smoke around Isato cleared and the two girls he was facing were prepared to face anything from a zanbato to a halberd or even a giant set of kunai. What he actually held was very different.

'What is that? An iron wagon wheel?' Akane asked herself, seeing a metal ring with a 3/4 meter diameter and six spokes in the center, making it look very much like a bike tire, only the outer edge wasn't covered in rubber but six spikes.

"You plan to fight us with some kind of frisbee?" Shiba asked.

"Would a dog like you play along if I did?" Isato teased. "By the way, this is no frisbee. This little thing is called a raisha. My clan uses them all the time in combat."

"Never heard of a clan that fights with discs." Shiba revealed.

"Well you're about to." Isato proclaimed confidently.

"Hold on Shiba-chan, let me test this thing out." Akane offered before her clones charged in to see how this strange wheel was supposed to be used.

Using his magnetic abilities, Isato made the raisha hover in front of him like some kind of shield. It started to spin around like a wheel would then moved like a razor ring to cut all three of Akane's clones before returning to guard the Iwa boy, still spinning.

"Okay, so it can be used like a giant shuriken." Shiba noted.

"Yeah, but if that was all why not use a giant shuriken?" Akane asked her friend. "This thing was designed for a specific purpose, and cutting down clones wasn't it." Just then her repeat clones reformed themselves close to where they were killed, catching Isato off guard. Because of their close proximity he couldn't fend them off with his wheel weapon and had to resort to taijutsu just to keep them at bay.

'This is my chance.' Shiba thought. "Mina, Sassha, you ready?" The two animals barked and yipped in agreement. "Fang over Fang!" Shiba said before creating a whirlwind projectile with her body, followed by two smaller ones beside her.

'Good luck Shiba-chan.' Akane said, knowing this jutsu wasn't her friend's strong suit even with an extra partner. Most Inuzuka jutsu required earth chakra for maximum impact, but Shiba didn't have that element so her attacks were usually half-strength at most.

Isato positioned his raisha in front of him to block Shiba, spinning it with her to create a near-perfect shield against her attack. Shiba pressed forward while her two companions ricocheted off the wall behind him and hit him in the back together. The impact made him yell and falter in his magnetic jutsu, dropping the disc and allowing Shiba to hit him from the front.

The attack stopped and Shiba backed up to see the results of her assault, which her puppy and fox joining her. Isato was still standing but panting and clutching his chest. "Damn girl, good hit."

'When I hit that thing, I felt something other than metal. Like some sort of energy coming off it. Was it my imagination?' Shiba wondered.

Mina barked, drawing Shiba's attention to the brown husky. On the ground was her sword, retrieved after the attack. "Thank you Mina-chan." Shiba said as she claimed it and held it firmly, not about to let the magnet user to take it again.

"My turn Shiba-chan." Akane said before she had her three clones swarmed the boy. Weakened by Shiba's attack but not so much that he couldn't defend himself, Isato pulled out six kunai with both hands and threw them simultaneously at the four redheads. The clones took all the hits and dispersed and the original came up to Isato with green glowing hands, striking him repetitively just like a Hyuuga would.

'So she can fight like Hinata too, not just Naruto?' Sakura asked, not expecting that. She had always seen Akane move like Naruto in her training, never like Hinata.

By the time Akane's clones had reformed themselves again she had finished her attack and her hands were no longer green. Isato smirked. "What the heck was that? I actually feel better, not worse. Why were you-?" He stopped when his legs gave out and he collapsed like a puppet with cut strings. "What the hell? My legs won't work." He tried to move his arms and legs but found they barely moved at all.

Akane smiled. "How do you like that? And don't expect me to tell you what I did. No smart ninja reveals their methods to the opponent like that, especially with an audience."

'I think I know what she did.' Naruto thought. 'Akane can't use the real juuken since she doesn't have the byakugan, but like Hinata she made her own version of it to suit her specific needs. By injecting medical chakra into the body chakra network she numbs the muscles and nerves so they basically fall asleep, not unlike the juuken stopping the flow of chakra. Oh the Hyuuga elders threw a fit once they learned of this but there's not a damn thing they can do. It's not the juuken and Akane-chan's not a Hyuuga so it's not under their jurisdiction.'

With his limbs currently disabled, Akane and her clones performed their own version of the Uzumaki Barrage. Isato didn't need his hands to use his weapons though and magnetically controlled the discarded kunai to hit them all. It worked but he took a lot of damage too, and even the real Akane took a kunai hit to the back of her right shoulder.

'I haven't had a kunai in my shoulder in four years. Still hurts as much as I remember it though.' She thought as she took it out.

Isato appeared down for the count, lying face down on the floor motionless. Which meant it was time for Akane and Shiba to focus on each other.

The two girls then faced each other, Shiba still holding her sword and Akane supported by her reforming clones. Neither looked afraid to fight the other, but they also didn't look excited.

'This is different than their normal spars. Both know that this time something serious is on the line.' Naruto thought. 'And I bet neither is comfortable with the idea of advancing at the expense of the other, even if they both know it's unavoidable.'

"Shiba-chan," Akane started, getting her friend's attention. "What did I say to you when we started this?"

"You told me not to hold myself back." The young Inuzuka answered.

"Right, so I just want to add that I'm sorry." Akane added.

Shiba raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

Rather than answer, the reborn Kyuubi charged at her friend with her clones like a swarm. Getting defensive Shiba backed away and positioned her sword to guard herself. All four Akane's came in with fists. Mina and Sassha each leapt at a clone to keep two at bay, but the remaining two managed to hit Shiba herself and knock her down on her butt.

"Akane-chan?" Shiba asked.

"Shiba-chan, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to just forfeit here either and I can't let you just forfeit either. This hurts me too to fight you, but how can either of us truly be qualified to be chuunin if the only reason one of us gets to the finals is because the other had to let us?"

Shiba blinked. 'She must have sensed I was still tempted to just yield and let her advance.' "Akane-chan, you want to be chuunin more than I do. I can wait longer if I have to, I don't mind. But you're the one who's driven to keep going. What kind of friend would I be if I denied you the chance to advance when I don't need it more than you?"

"And what kind of friend would I be if I encouraged you to hold yourself back?" Akane replied. "Shiba-chan, I've always tried to get you to do your best. Prove to me that it meant something to you. Do your best, even if it means you do better than me. Heck, _especially_ if it means you do better than me. Do you think I'd resent you if you got to be chuunin first?"

Shiba's eyes widened marginally. 'I... I didn't think of that. Maybe in the back of my mind I was afraid of exactly that. That I'd do better than her and hurt her pride.' She mentally hit herself in the head. 'Stupid Shiba, this is Akane-chan you're dealing with. She may be many things, but petty isn't one of them.'

Shiba resolved herself and stood up straight. "Thanks Akane-chan, I guess I needed that. You ready for the real thing?"

"I just hope you can surprise me Shiba-chan." Akane said in good spirit.

'This reminds me of me and Ino at their age, only nicer.' Sakura thought as she watched.

Shiba sheathed her sword. "Yokobito is not meant for friends, so... Four Legs Jutsu." Shiba got on all fours, looking feraler, her canine teeth more pronounced, ponytail uncombed and spiked, and sharper claws on her fingers. It was nothing Akane hadn't seen before.

"Let's make this challenging." Akane said quietly to herself before dispelling her clones.

"Piercing Fang!" Shiba yelled before creating another cyclone attack aimed at Akane, who simply stood there and took it.

Everyone who knew Akane gasped and leaned in to watch closer, knowing she could have dodged or countered that move easily. So therefore, he took it for a reason, but no one, not even Ichi, could guess why.

The attack stopped and Shiba jumped back, reinforced by her partners, and now it was apparent what Akane had done. The top part of her jumpsuit was now replaced with a full-body top half red mesh suit. It looked like something Anko would wear but with longer sleeves, and to most of the boys pleasure it showed off how nicely she had developed chest-wise.

"Wait, you can turn your clothes into armor?" Shiba asked, unaware that her all-purpose jumpsuit came with that feature.

"No, just mesh armor. Nothing like what you'd expect a samurai to wear or anything like that. It still has to be clothes." Akane explained.

"You won't be able to win this just by changing your clothes Akane-chan." Shiba said, readying herself for a more effective tactic. "Combination Fang!" Shiba, Mina, and Sassha jumped and spun around again to create a three-pronged drill attack, but this time all three actually went around Akane.

'That was no miss, she's trying to get me from behind.' Akane though as she turned around. The Inuzuka team bounced off the wall and gained momentum from it, and shortly after that the three cyclones came next to each other and to Akane's surprise connected and merged together into one tornado-like attack.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu." Akane made a wall of clones to take the attack for her. The defense only bought her seconds, for the attack tore right thru the clones, but it was enough for Akane to get out of the way and drop Shiba's momentum down. Shiba stopped and looked around to see the damage she had done. Akane was unhurt, but the arena couldn't say the same.

'Whoa, I did that? But I'm terrible at these jutsu.'

'Good work Shiba.' Kurenai thought with a smile, pleased by her student. 'Your normal attacks are less effective then normal Inuzuka, but by combining them with your partners like you did you compensated for the lack of raw power.'

Akane smiled. "Wow Shiba-chan, good one. Didn't see that one coming."

All of a sudden, Shiba's sword was pulled out of its sheath again, and Akane felt something pulling her in the same direction. 'What the-?' Before she could finish that thought, her mesh shirt was somehow yanked over her and removed from her body before it went right to a now conscious Isato.

Akane blushed as violently as Hinata ever did and put her arms over her chest, her red bra being the only thing she still wore now on her upper body. "What the hell?!"

"I was just playing dead. Now seemed like a good time to come back in the game." Isato said, noticing that Akane's mesh shirt had returned to being a red and black shirt. "Looks like it returns to normal when you're not touching it anymore."

"Give it back! That's my only top!" Akane yelled, blushing still but baring her fangs.

"Only top? You only own one shirt?" Isato asked.

"I only need the one. Give it back or I'm taking it back!" She demanded.

'When you can make one outfit look like an infinite amount of others, one outfit is all you really need to own.' Naruto mused. 'Though I'm going to have a serious talk with that boy before he goes back to Iwa. A very serious talk indeed, maybe with Anko and Hinata there to get the message across.'

"I'll gladly give it back, if you surrender. Unless you're rather fight in front of all your friends wearing just your training bra?" Isato taunted.

Shiba growled. "Bad enough you take my sword, but you take advantage of a girl's modesty to win a fight?" She immediately went for a few quick hand signs then held out her right hand. "Ice Style Freeze Jutsu." Her right hand glowed a soft ice blue and she tightened it into a fist.

All of a sudden Isato got cold and ice started forming all over his body and clothes. "Ice? How can you possibly use ice? You're supposed to be part of that dog clan."

He wasn't the only one wondering that. In fact, Akane, Mina, and Sassha were the only ones there who weren't.

His body almost laminated in ice, Isato tried one last move. Using his magnetic release he got his raisha ready and threw it at her like a shuriken. Before it hit her, Akane grabbed it with one hand, halting it, then came to him and hit him in the head with it like a club. Isato fell over and the ice started bonding him to the floor.

Akane dropped his weapon and took back her top, putting it back on. "You're worse than Riku was, Ero-Jiton. And for the record, this is no training bra." She insulted as she zipped up, then looked at her friend. "Sorry you had to do that for my sake Shiba-chan."

The Inuzuka girl was stunned. 'I... I can't believe I just did that. I just gave away my biggest secret in front of everyone. The Inuzuka council is going to be on me like fleas now. How will I ever prove my worth to them?'

She was snapped out of her thoughts by something pushing her down then pinning her to the floor. Looking up, she saw dozens of Akanes doing it. "Sorry again Shiba-chan, but you did give me an opening. Had I been a real enemy you could be dead right now."

Shiba smiled. "Good point. Maybe I'm not ready to be chuunin then." She turned to Sakura. "Proctor, I forfeit. I've done all I can do."

Sakura looked over the contestants. "Alright, winner of this match is Akane Uzumaki."

Akane dispelled her clones and helped Shiba up, but she had no intention of doing the same for Isato so Shiba had to release him from his ice bindings. He was fine, cold but fine, and sealed away his raisha.

"Shiba, I think you and I should talk after all this." Kurenai told her student when she came back up to the alcove.

"I know Sensei, but I had my reasons for it." Shiba responded, well aware of the topic Kurenai had in mind.

"I wonder what Noburo would have said if he had seen you fight." Hanabi teased.

Akane turned red. "Don't Obasan, just don't."

"Alright. Here's something your father wanted you to have by the way." Hanabi added before handing Akane the white box.

The younger girl curiously took it and opened the letter first. 'Hope u win' was written in crayon for her, letting her know Rai-chan had written it for her, with Hinata's help of course. Smiling warmly Akane opened the box and saw a chocolate cupcake inside with vanilla frosting and a cherry on top.

"Thanks otouto." She whispered before she started to eat her treat.

"Next match is Ginta Asatani, Hibuki Tsubasa, and Kirako Yagami. Participants please come down." Sakura announced.

The contestants came down and took positions. Ginta was a blonde boy on the Kiri team and he wore war paint on him much like Kankuro did, but not just on his face. It went down his arms too. Hibuki was a boy from Iwa with blue-tinted black hair wearing a red short-sleeve shirt over a black long-sleeve shirt. Kirako was of course the reborn Hachibi from Kumo.

"Proctor, before we began can I have a quick bathroom break?" Kirako called out.

Sakura shook her head. "Nope, you should have done that before the match. In real life situations the enemy will not allow you to pause a battle for something like that, and we can't permit the off-chance this is an opportunity for you to prepare yourself specifically against these two. I'm afraid you're just going to have to hold it until this is over."

Kirako looked at her opponents. 'Then I guess I'll have to be quick about this.'

"Ready? Begin!"

Ginta got ready to channel chakra right away but Hibuki just crossed his arms and smiled at Kirako. "Ladies first."

"Huh?" She said, not expecting that.

"Go ahead, make the first move. I dare you." He said, making her suddenly uncertain about targeting him. And by extension Ginta was too.

'This could be his tactic. He's presenting an offer that's too good to be true, which is in a way taking advantage of our suspicious nature. He either wants me to attack so he can use a trick that only works in defense, or he wants me to attack the other guy instead so he has a chance to attack me from behind. Either way, he gets the advantage.' Kirako analyzed. 'Too bad he underestimates my ability to attack.'

Kirako snorted thru her nose, lowered her head, and lightly dug at the floor with her foot, looking much like a bull ready to charge. Without warning, she ran forward almost too fast to see and headbutted Hibuki right in the gut. She didn't stop there though, instead she kept going forward until she knocked him into the wall with a lot of force, cracking it quite loudly.

'Just the kind of thing I'd expect from a bovine demon.' Akane thought.

Yugiko was less calm. "Get out of the way!" She shouted to the people on the opposing alcove, the one right above where Kirako rammed into.

Right away it became apparent why she warned them. The wall started to shatter and crumble, and soon the alcove did too. Kirako's attack had damaged the entire side of the building, like a wrecking ball. As the structure collapsed the audience on that side had to jump to the other side. With everyone there being a ninja it was easy.

Moments later there was a huge pile of rubble and a large gaping hole in the building.

"Holy crap!" Hanabi exclaimed.

The Kumo jounin, a red-eyed dark-skinned woman named Kei, nodded. "Yep, Kirako's got the hardest head in Kumo. In more ways then one. You can't imagine how hard it is to keep that under control."

"I can. I've got possibly the fastest genin in Konoha on my team." The Hyuuga heiress replied.

A hand shot out of the rubble, drawing everyone's attention. Kirako managed to pull herself out and dust herself off. "I think that's set and match if I do say so myself."

Most of the jounin dug thru the rubble to retrieve the two boys. Ginta was out cold but strangely unhurt in any way, while Hibuki looked more banged up as expected.

"Winner by one hell of a knock-out, Kirako Yagami." Sakura declared.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter Forty-Six: Preliminary Break

Naruto addressed everyone in the room. "Alright, with this wall demolished we're going to take a small break in order to repair it. You can go anywhere you want but stay inside this building, and be back here in thirty minutes."

"Alright you two, let's go see how Noburo is doing." Hanabi told Akane and Ichi.

"If he's in surgery we can't." Ichi pointed out.

"True, but there's no reason we can't ask for a progress report." Hanabi reminded him. "Don't you want to see him?"

"Yes but not for the reasons you're thinking." Akane said as the team walked away.

As that happened, Sayo approached her sensei. "Kakashi-sensei, is that man related to you?"

"Which man?"

"That one." She said as she pointed discreetly to one of the Iwa jounin. The one that had silver hair and a mask covering half of his face. "He looks an awful lot like you."

"I doubt he's related. You know how they say everyone has a double? That guy's probably mine." Kakashi said.

"You sure?"

Kakashi nodded. "Absolutely. If you don't believe me check out Gai and Lee, the two best taijutsu users in Konoha outside the Hyuuga clan. The two aren't related if you can believe it, but they look alike too. So much so we actually convinced the two to have a DNA test done years ago. Their resemblance is just a coincidence and in Lee's case mostly imitation."

Sayo accepted her sensei's words but still wondered.

* * *

"Hey Riku, did you get that fight you wanted yet?"

The bee-using ninja nodded. "Yes Shohei-sensei, back in the swamp."

"He just would not let us advance until he found her." Mida complained in jest.

"So do you feel better now?" The sensei for this squad asked. Her name was Shouhei Myonata, a blue-haired kunoichi and the type of woman that Anko would have gladly been friends with had they lived in the same village. She wore a lavender blouse with a left sleeve but no right sleeve, using a lavender elbow band instead, a brown vest, and red pants. On her back she carried a chui, an unorthodox weapon for a shinobi but she was said to wield a club like she had been born holding one.

"Somewhat. I fought against the Hokage's daughter and lost, but somehow she made me feel like I didn't really fail anything." Riku explained.

"Maybe because now that you've gotten it out of your system you can clearly see that win or lose nothing would have changed except your pride in yourself." Shouhei responded.

Riku shrugged. "Maybe someday I'll get a rematch." His teammates and sensei were relieved to hear the lack of a vengeful tone in his voice as he said that.

* * *

Shiba was avoiding everyone, even her own team. At the moment she was on the top floor of the building wandering aimlessly, her puppy on her head and her fox in her arms.

"You're not in trouble Shiba-sama." Sassha told her reassuringly.

"I'm aware of that, but my future will never be what I wanted it to be." Shiba bemoaned.

"Maybe it won't be as bad as you fear." The white fox suggested, trying to be certain.

Shiba closed her eyes to avoid looking at her partner in a bad way. "What other possibility is there for me?"

"Hello Shiba-chan." Tatsu greeted from behind, startling the Inuzuka girl.

"Oh, Tatsu-kun, you scared me for a minute there."

"You must be quite distracted. I'm told it's quite hard to sneak up on an Inuzuka even in their sleep."

Shiba looked downright crestfallen at that. "I'm no Inuzuka. Not after today. I'll be lucky if I get sent into the outcast branch of the clan and be forced to change my name to Nohara."

Inuzuka were expected to bond with a canine partner, but not all of them could. Those that failed or were in some way unable to live up to the clan's full potential were reassigned to a sort of clan-within-the-clan, a family called the Nohara sub-clan. Kakashi's late teammate Rin was a member of this group.

"I understand your fear. I'd be a bit disturbed if I were suddenly forced into the Yamashiro branch." Tatsu sympathized. The Aburame had their own sub-clan for those unable to accept the kikaichu into their bodies. The tokubetsu jounin Aoba belonged to this group.

Sub-clans were actually not a bad thing to be a part of, they were completely different than the Hyuuga Branch House which was still considered part of the Hyuuga clan even if segregated within it. Sub-clans were sort of designed for the 'disabled' members of clans, those that were unable to perform or learn the official teachings of the clan techniques but could still perform as ninja in other fields. Such members were put into sub-clans for their own benefit, where they could learn skills that were more applicable to them without being under pressure of the main clan to do things they could not. They did not get clan privileges nor representatives in the shinobi council, but they were always protected by the clans that they splintered from and the clan heads took them into consideration in legal matters too. When the Hyuuga had to merge the two houses, the topic of instead creating a sub-clan was brought up, but shot down. Doing so would only further agonize the former Branch members, not pacifiy them.

Being a member of a sub-clan was not a shameful thing by nature. Some members actually found it relieving not being held to the expectations of the established clans, who all had to meet a certain standard to be considered worthy. Sub-clans had much more lenient standards. Not to mention it was the major clans, not the sub-clans, that attracted the most enemies so it granted a measure of safety. The only problem was being part of the primary clan at first then being sent into the sub-clan, it was sort of like a fall from grace. Or like a Main House Hyuuga being branded back when the seal was still used.

"You'll never experience that Tatsu-kun. You can use your family jutus. I'm mediocre at best and what I am good at isn't Inuzuka-style." Shiba self-criticized.

"Shiba-chan, you are overreacting. Your family won't throw you out of the clan just for what I presume you have. If anything they will ensure you never leave." Tatsu said, only to receive an angry growl and glare from the girl.

"That's what I'm afraid of Tatsu-kun. I'm not afraid of being kicked out, I'm afraid of being kept in."

"But weren't you just saying-?"

"Listen, don't speak, if you want to understand." Shiba ordered, silencing the Aburame. "I'm not afraid of being a Nohara, what I'm afraid of is the alternative. Being a Nohara is better by comparison."

Tatsu was confused by her reasoning, but said nothing, allowing her to explain.

"I've never been good at Inuzuka jutsu or taijutsu, you know that by now. What you saw down there in the arena was the reason why. I don't have earth chakra, I have ice chakra instead. I have a second bloodline that doesn't mix well with my Inuzuka bloodline. Not in me at least. I haven't told anyone in my clan that, so they assume I'm just feeble but not a lost cause. Once they learn I have the thought-to-be-extinct hyoton, I'll be little more than a breeding factory in my future in hopes of creating Inuzuka that can use the hyoton and our dog-based techniques together effectively. I'll never be respected by my clan, I'll just be a breeder. Nothing more."

Tatsu wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to reassure her that such a thing wouldn't happen, but he knew she wouldn't believe that. And to be fair he had to admit her fear was not unfounded. "One question, why would the Nohara be any different if you joined them?"

"You mean couldn't they force me to become a mere breeder too for them?" Shiba repeated, and Tatsu nodded. "They can't. Sub-clans are forbidden from forcing such policies. Or at least the ones I know about. They have to get their members from the main clan so they don't get big enough to become independent. Sure people can be born to the sub-clan, but it can only be to the parent's timeline."

"So if the Nohara can't force you to breed but the Inuzuka can, why are you trying to stay with the Inuzuka?" Tatsu asked.

Shiba looked at her partners. "Because my family is in the Inuzuka. Everyone I know and care about. I don't want to leave them. Besides, I want to prove a point to my clan, that even the runt of the litter can bite just as hard as any other dog. If I'm forced into the Nohara, I'm basically forced to give that up."

Tatsu lightly smiled. "It's times like this I remember why you and Akane-chan get along so well. You two are quite alike at times."

* * *

"Hey Akane-chan."

"Baa-chan? They called you in for this?" Akane asked, surprised to see her grandmother standing outside the door to where she last saw Noburo. "Is he in that bad of condition?"

"I wouldn't know. I just got here but I was filled in on the details. I'd love to stay and chat but I need to go in and relieve some of the medics before they exhaust their reserves." Tsunade said before entering the room.

"Luckily with Godaime-sama there we can breathe easier." Hanabi told her two students.

"Why are they here instead of in a hospital?" Ichi asked.

"They probably can't risk moving Noburo at the time." Hanabi suggested. "Anyway, it looks like we're not going to find out anything here for a while, so let's find something else to do."

* * *

"This sure brings back memories doesn't it Forehead?" Ino chatted with Sakura while the two sat in a lounge. Sakura was sipping some coffee but Ino just had water.

"Yeah it does. I'm surprised how strong kids these days are. I wonder if we'll ever reach a point where these exams are obsolete."

"That will be the day." Ino paused to take a drink. "Now that I think about it, did you notice that just like our preliminaries, an Uzumaki had to fight an Inuzuka? That girl is so much like Naruto it's scary."

"Oh you have no idea." Sakura commented.

Ino arched her one visible eyebrow. "How so? I've known her as long as you have."

"I'd tell you, but I'm kind of under orders not to." Sakura claimed. "You'll have to ask Naruto, but I don't think he's just going to tell you. I myself didn't find this out until today, but it does explain a lot about their connection."

"What do you mean?" Ino asked, still confused.

"I can't go into further detail, but I think it explains why Naruto adopted her in the first place." Sakura replied. 'Naruto said the Kyuubi is inside her now. He of course would feel responsible for her, maybe even guilty for her becoming a host after Akatsuki took it out of him. And since she's survived that proves she's an Uzumaki by blood so she is family to him.'

Because of how Naruto phrased his response to her, 'The power of the Kyuubi is no longer inside me, it's inside Akane-chan', Sakura concluded that meant Akane was a jinchuuriki, not a reborn bijuu. With that in her mind, Sakura theorized that at some point some person, likely a member of the diminished Akatsuki, had managed to take Kyuubi out of Naruto but couldn't put it in the mezo statue right away, so they transferred the demon fox to a new host. That host being Akane. Naruto recovered and fought back, but couldn't undo what had happened so he took Akane into his home, feeling it was the right thing to do.

Naruto simply hadn't bothered to correct her.

Ino thought it over. "Alright then, I'll see if I can go ask Naruto for a direct answer."

"Don't push him if he says no Ino-pig. He outranks you now you know." Sakura added as the platinum blonde got up to leave.

"Yeah, but he's not going to do anything. You know that." Ino claimed. While she didn't disrespect Naruto or undermine his authority, she and most of the former Rookies felt a certain measure of safety from Naruto being tough on the job. Basically even if he had to be tough on them, he wouldn't be anything they couldn't handle since they were old friends.

"When it comes to his daughter you never know. Remember he did rip off one of Sasuke's arms. And Hinata beat the crap out of him for throwing a kunai at her." Sakura pointed out.

Ino blanched. "Right, I forgot. Maybe I won't insist so much on this, but it won't hurt to see if he'll talk if asked." She then left to go find the Rokudaime Hokage.

* * *

Back in Konoha, Shikamaru was taking a break as well from his job and doing what he most loved to do on these breaks. Yep you guessed it, he was laying down watching the clouds go by.

"Are you ever going to get tired of this?" Temari asked when she came up to her husband.

"Why would I do that?" Shikamaru asked when she got comfortable with him.

"You know I'm not going to let you do this so much when we have kids right?" She asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "You say that now, but give it a month or so and you'll be just as eager for this little escape from reality as I am."

"What, you think having kids would be too troublesome?" Temari asked.

Shikamaru briefly glanced at her. "To be fair Temari, name one person we know that hasn't complained about it at least once."

"You got me there, but I still think it's worth it. You did once tell me you wanted to have a boy and girl, have you changed your mind?"

This time Shikamaru looked at her for more than a glance. "Is there something you want to tell me dear?"

Temari smiled. "Wow, it took you longer than I thought for you to catch on. I had a check-up this morning. We're going to be parents Shika."

Like most men, Shikamaru didn't know how to respond. The shock always tends to be the first response, then once that passes they know how they feel about it. Naruto and Neji were no different when their wives first told them they were pregnant. Even though Shikamaru was smarter than them both, he froze just like they did at this revelation.

"If I hear 'troublesome' come out of your lips now I swear you're on permanent diaper duty for this kid and every kid to follow." Temari playfully threatened, though her eyes showed she intended to carry it out.

"Actually, I was wondering what you were going to do now that you've been taken off active duty. If you went for a check-up that means it's now on your record and law states the moment a kunoichi is confirmed pregnant she is taken off the roster." The pineapple-haired man replied.

"I thought about taking up a few of your mom's hobbies. She could help me get better with a skillet."

"Don't even joke about that." Shikamaru insisted, making Temari giggle.

* * *

The majority of Team Three was waiting in a lounge enjoying themselves. Akane got her and Ichi sodas from a vending machine and gave him his before sitting down next to him.

"I'm surprised you drink the clear types. I always figured you preferred the dark ones." Akane said after taking a gulp. Her soda was the common brown liquid but Ichi had the clear liquid brand instead.

"I like these ones better. Sweeter."

Akane shrugged. "To each their own." She turned to Hanabi who was filing her fingernails at the moment, something juuken-users had to take proper care. "Obaa-san, you think Noburo-kun will still be able to participate in the last part of the test?"

"If Tsunade-sama is treating him then absolutely. Right now I'm more concerned about how to handle his training regiment for the next few weeks. You two I've pretty much gotten figured out already, unless Ichi gets sent to the hospital too after his fight."

"Don't jinx me Sensei." Ichi complained, making the Hyuuga heiress smirk.

"So what do you have in mind for us?" Akane said before taking another gulp.

"I'll save that for when it's time to get started. Only clue I'll give you two is I'm not going to do this alone. I've called in a favor to get the three of you covered properly."

"What if I don't make it to the final part?" Ichi asked.

Hanabi arched an eyebrow. "Who said that's what this was for? If you lose your match here I'm not letting you take the month off and fall behind the other two. Haven't you learned by now that teams succeed and fail together?"

A medic came and knocked on the doorway banister to get their attentions. "I was sent to give you three two messages. First, the boy in surgery should be able to see visitors tomorrow. He's no longer in any long-term trouble and will be moved to the hospital tonight at a more convenient time. And second, you should get back to the arena room in five minutes."

"Thanks Doc." Hanabi said before getting up and stretching for a moment. Akane and Ichi did the same while finishing their soft drinks. "Let's go kids."

* * *

"Alright everyone, it's time for the preliminaries to resume." Sakura announced once everyone gathered in the repaired room. "Fortunately we only have three matches left."

The random name screen then selected the next victims or contestants, however you wanted to call them.

'Shinbou Kyogami vs Kyouko Yotsuya vs Ichinoshiko.'

'I have to fight two of Akane-san's cousins?' Ichi asked himself, seeing the danger here.

"Best of luck to you and your kidneys Ichi-kun." Akane stated.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter Forty-Seven: Preliminary Round Seven, Eight, And Nine

With trepidation Ichi went to the arena. He was nervous but it was entirely understandable to those informed on the situation. He had to fight two bijuu at once. No one could recall a time where anyone had done that before. Not fight and live to tell about it at least, or have a witness escape to tell about it either.

Those that didn't know about the bijuu girls just assumed he was unconfident.

Shinbou and Kyouko ignored him, both believing the real threat here was each other.

'I have the strength advantage but she has the elemental advantage.' Kyouko thought. 'I'll need to get her out of commission quickly.'

'She's faster than me, but I'm harder to hurt.' Shinbou considered. 'She's likely to go on the offense right away, so I better play defense until I have an opening.'

'How do I take down two bijuu in one battle?' Ichi asked himself. 'I haven't even been able to beat Akane-san once.'

"Ready? Begin." Sakura announced.

Shinbou and Kyouko briefly looked at Ichi who stepped back and crouched down, much like Shikamaru did when thinking things over. Both girls decided he was too little a threat to worry about right then and returned their attention to each other.

"Go ahead and surrender Kyouko." Shinbou stated. "It will be easier on both of us."

"Not a chance. I've always wanted to see if my talent can trump yours." Kyouko replied, cracking her knuckles.

"Suit yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Kyouko reached behind herself and pulled out her metal pole, spinning it in both hands like a bo staff. Surprised, Shinbou pulled out her katana and held it pointing forward. The two went right for each other, weapons ready. They clashed and made sparks, both girls looking each other in the eyes. Kyoko then smiled at spit on Shinbou's cheek.

Shinbou yelled in pain and backed away, putting her left hand on her cheek. "Did you seriously just spit lava in my face?"

"Oh relax, that wasn't lava, just really hot spit." Kyouko said.

"Well unlike you, I plan to use my real power." Shinbou said before doing a highly complicated set of hand signs, none of which were recognizable by anyone paying attention enough to notice. "Double Water Style Geyser Field Jutsu." When she finished, Shinbou's cheeks swelled a bit, not unrealistically, then she spat out an abnormally large amount of water at her opponent.

Being a monkey, Kyouko wasn't fond of water and used her chakra to cling to the walls where she shook off the water on her. Much to her displeasure Shinbou's water didn't stop with the attack; it began to flood the room and covered the floor with a depth of half a meter. And from that water several geysers went up and down in various locations.

"Double water style?" Hanabi repeated in confusion.

"Oh that's just my cousins special skill." Akane clarified. "Let's just say she's got an affinity for water that outclasses the Nidaime."

"Interesting." Hanabi noted.

Kyouko was much less intrigued, though part of that was because all the bijuu were already familiar with the affinities of the others. It came from them meeting up every so often and from a sort of unspoken connection between them. "Lava Style Magma Bullet Jutsu." She spat out several large globs of molten earth at her Kiri cousin, who used the water to get her out of the way and take the hit for her.

"Nice try, but your lava won't last long in this environment." Shinbou taunted.

"I only need it to work long enough." Kyouko replied before jumping and landing on one of the boulders formed when her magma was cooled by the water.

'Ah, so that was more about giving her some dry land to use here. She's always been unwilling to be wet, which makes me her worst enemy.' Shinbou thought, certain victory was inevitable.

"Lava Style Melting Apparition Jutsu." Kyouko said before spewing out a large sheet of magma up above the arena. It began to spread out and soon enough would be big enough to cover the entire floor.

Shinbou now looked nervous. 'Oh crap, I don't have enough water already here to put that out right away. I got only one choice.'

The magma came down and to everyone's surprise Shinbou didn't escape. Instead she just ducked down and tucked herself into a ball. The magma hit the water making it evaporate with a loud hiss and a lot of steam. The magma itself was cooler now but still in molten form, albeit darker and thicker. There was a large bubble of it in the middle though and it was getting darker by the second until it became solid stone.

"What did she do?" Kyouko curiously asked herself, walking on the magma like one would walk on water. She held out her pole and with the sharp end jabbed the stone hard enough to make it crack. From that crack water began to leak, then it exploded, pelting Kyoko with debris and lots of water.

'I can't believe it. She gathered up enough water to condense around herself and protect herself.' Kyouko realized as she tried to dry herself off with some fire chakra running thru her. Shinbou emerged from her watery tomb soaking wet and not minding it one bit. Her kimono clang to her body like wet clothes do but it was too thick for anyone to see anything other than her basic shape.

"You should know by now Kyouko that defense is my bread and butter." Shinbou stated.

"And you should know offense is mine." Kyouko countered, flexing a fist.

Unintimidated, Shinbou did another set of complicated hand signs. "Double Water Style Dragon Whirlpool Jutsu." She spat out another river of water that circled around her like a watery tornado, and from it emerged a water dragon that went for Kyouko.

"How does she have so much water with her?" Hanabi whispered to Akane. "Water jutsus of that caliber require a source present. And I don't think there's enough moisture in the air for that. So unless she's got some sort of hidden storage scroll on her, she'll dehydrate and endanger herself."

A small fact about water jutsus was that the caster could use the water in their own body to perform the jutsu, but doing so was incredibly dangerous if used carelessly. As a result, virtually no ninja did that unless it was done in small doses or as a last resort.

Akane just chuckled. "Shinbou-chan dehydrating? Yeah right. What next, Yugiko-chan overheating?"

"I fail to see the humor here." Hanabi replied.

"I'll explain later Obasan."

Back in the arena, Kyouko dodged the dragon skillfully but the jutsu didn't end. The dragon turned and came for her, looping around her like a predator. Kyouko didn't have anywhere to go except up to escape, and jumping would only make her a sitting duck. Fortunately, she didn't intend on just dodging.

Holding out her pole she channeled fire chakra into it. The rod became red hot then white, making a hissing noise while she swung it like a bat. "Hakuja!" The white pole hit the dragon in it neck and seared it with an angry hiss that turned the water directly into steam, effectively decapitating the dragon.

"Whoa." Several ninja said, surprised by her move.

This was one of Kyouko's best moves, an original jutsu where she concentrated and condensed fire chakra in her rod, but without melting it. The result created something akin to a giant soldering iron, or as her friends called it, a red-hot or white-hot poker depending on how hot she made it. As a result, she named this move either the Akaja or Hakuja, the Red or White Snake, because the heat generated a loud hissing noise. The white version was the hotter of the two and considered the more powerful, but also had the shortest lifespan.

The heat was fading and the pole was now red, but still hot enough for the Iwa kunoichi's purpose. She turned around and attacked the whirlpool surrounding Shinbou to protect her, able to see her silhouette. Acting quickly she drove the pole's blunt end into the whirlpool, vaporizing the contacting water but not destroying the whirlpool itself. "Akaja!"

The audience was wide-eyed to see this attack, and judging from the looks of it Kyouko actually hit her target.

The whirlpool collapsed to let everyone see how the impact affected Shinbou. The blunt end of the pole was jabbing her in the back, burning the back of her kimono, but Shinbou turned her head and smirked. "Nice try hotshot."

"Damn, I hit your strong spot." Kyouko groaned, withdrawing her pole which was now just warm but not glowing or hissing.

Because of her turtle nature, Shinbou's back was the exact opposite of an Achilles Heel. She was completely impervious to any attack, at least any she had experienced so far, as long as it hit her back. Even in human form, thanks to a sort of natural chakra defense acting as a sort of turtle shell for her all the time. Mushi could do something similar with her whole skin, though it was weaker and not constant.

"You owe me a new kimono top." Shinbou said, irritated by the hole in her kimono but keeping her back to her cousin.

All of a sudden they heard a whistling sound off to the side, and turned to see two things quickly coming their way. They looked and saw something quickly coming at them, then explode in their faces with a blinding flash and some kind of burning powder.

Shinbou screamed while clutching her face, having fallen on her back now. Her eyes, like that of the previous Sanbi, had always been her weak spot, and she had just been attacked there. Kyouko resisted the pain better but she still had her hands over her eyes too groaning in agony.

'What the heck was that?' They both asked themselves. Kyouko tried to pull her hands away to see the cause, but found her hands were stuck to her face. "What the...?" She tugged some more, but they were still stuck. "My hands. They're stuck to my face."

Shinbou tried to remove her own, and failed. "Mine too."

They heard footsteps approaching. "If you want to see again, surrender. Then I'll undo my jutsu."

Kyouko and Shinbou were silent as realization dawned on them. They remembered this was a three-person fight, not two-person. They had been so caught up in fighting each other they forgot Ichi had been there this entire time. Left alone, he had been watching them this whole time, observing their tactics and waiting for an opportunity to take them both down.

"We made the worst mistake a shinobi can make, underestimating an opponent to the point we forget he's even there." Kyouko commented to her cousin, who could only nod. "Alright, I surrender."

"Me too." Shinbou said. "Not much we can do without our hands and eyes."

"Winner by forfeit, Ichinoshikyo." Sakura announced.

"Wow." Akane said, greatly surprised, as were Shukaku, Yugiko, Fuzei, Misao, Mushi, and Kirako. 'Ichi-kun actually managed to defeat two bijuu at once. I don't think even the Shodai Hokage can claim that.'

Yugiko purred, impressed. "That's some teammate you've got Akane."

Ichi undid the jutsu and the reborn Sanbi and Yonbi could see again. "I gotta ask, how did you do that?" Sanbi asked.

"Carefully." Ichi answered before leaving, lightly chuckling to himself at his open answer. He went up to his team, and was met with Yugiko as well.

"Nice job Ichi-kun. I was rooting for you." The black-blue-haired girl said with a look in her eyes that could best be described as lustful.

"How did you do that Ichi?" Hanabi asked, since like most people in the audience she had been focusing more on the fight between Shinbou and Kyouko and thus his tactic had caught her off guard.

"You know I use flares for jutsu right?" Ichi asked, getting Hanabi and Akane to nod. "I once asked myself what if I used something else that made light? So here, I used some fireworks."

"Fireworks?" Akane repeated. "You mean you shot fireworks in my cousins faces?"

"I wasn't aiming for their faces Akane-san, just them. Anyway I put my chakra into the firework so when it burst the light would be more blinding, forcing them to cover their eyes. Doing so meant there was a shadow between their hands and eyes."

Hanabi smiled. "And since you use shadows in these jutsus as well as light, you made it so the shadow was in some way adhesive, didn't you?"

Ichi nodded. "Yes. The chakra from the light transferred to the shadow and made the skin between hand and face bind until I released it. Blinding my enemy and keeping their hands full at the same time. Not to mention the gunpowder from the firework helps hurt them a bit too."

"Ichi, you're brilliant." Hanabi complimented.

The dark-haired boy smiled. "Glad you like Sensei, especially since I named it the Firework Festival Jutsu." Hanabi lightly laughed. (AN: To understand the joke, the Japanese name of this jutsu would be Hanabi Taikai no Jutsu)

The screen flickered back to life and announced the next match.

"Ryo Yamanaka, Masa Shikitomo, and Kioshi Kurama, please come down here." Sakura requested.

The three boys went down to the arena. At the moment no one could say for certain who was most likely to win, but the people who knew them best were hoping their friend won.

'Good luck Masa.' Sayo silently cheered for her teammate.

Masa kept his swords in their sheaths, observing his opponents for a better understanding of how to proceed.

Ryo was to Akane's knowledge not directly related to Ino. He had blonde hair like most Yamanakas, but his was more yellow than platinum, making him look closer related to Naruto than Ino. His eyes were the normal pale blue of his clan though. He wore a blue shirt with a pale yellow vest, and black shorts. Akane had never once seen him use a jutsu since meeting him.

Kioshi was a member of the Kurama clan, same as his older relative Yakumo though he lacked her kekkei genkai. He just had a high affinity for genjutsu, but not that high. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and wore a red and purple tank top with mesh arm warmers and tan pants. Akane had never seen him use a jutsu either.

"Ready? Begin!" Sakura announced.

Right away Masa got into the battle, forcing the other two to react before setting up some strategy on their own ends. Fortunately he wasn't using his swords right away, confusing those that knew him since he liked his swords.

'I don't think I've ever seen Masa fight empty-handed.' Sayo thought, remembering their training sessions and how Masa had an annoying habit of going for his kunai pouch in strictly-taijutus matches. He was sort of like this generations version of Tenten, in that he didn't seem to know how to fight without weapons.

Because there were two targets standing a reasonable distance apart from each other, Masa couldn't attack them both in close-range combat, his specialty. Both Kioshi and Ryo backed away and apart, forcing him to be indecisive for a split second and give either of them a chance to retaliate once he decided who to target first.

Masa decided to go for Kioshi first. The latter clapped his hands together but did no hand signs and went to meet the purple-haired boy in a taijutsu fight. In a strange move, Kioshi attacked with his left fist but Masa blocked for an attack from the right one instead. This gave Kioshi a clear shot, one Masa was quite surprised to receive.

"Wait, I know I blocked your fist. How did you hit me thru my arm?" Masa asked. Kioshi followed thru with a right hook this time and Masa blocked on the wrong side again, having his undefended side hit again. "How are you doing this?"

Kurenai smiled. 'Ah, clever boy. You made a genjutsu so that your opponent sees the opposite attack. Hit with your right arm, he sees you using your left instead, and vice versa. Good idea, but it only works until he catches on and adjusts his defenses.'

Right then Ryo held both his hands out in front of him together, classic style for a Yamanaka. His hands looked like the normal set for the Mind Possession Jutsu, except he held them upside-down, palms facing towards him rather than his opponents.

"Mind Consumption Jutsu." He said quietly, as not to alert his two targets. Yamanaka jutsu weren't the fastest acting after all.

Both Masa and Kioshi froze in their fight, then collapsed as if they just lost the ability to stand up. Everyone watched intently but neither one of them moved other than to breathe.

Ryo looked to Sakura, hand on his head as if fighting a headache. "Better call the match. I beat them."

Not completely certain, Sakura looked at the downed genin. 'Well, in a real life scenario this situation would give their enemy a perfect chance to kill them, so it counts.' She cleared her throat. "Okay, winner by... let's say knockout, Ryo Yamanaka."

Groaning but smiling, Yamanaka did a jutsu release and then Masa and Kioshi regained consciousness. "What just happened?" Masa asked.

"Clan secret, can't just tell you." Ryo said while walking aware victoriously.

What he had done, the Mind Consumption Jutsu, was considered by many the inverse of the Mind Possession Jutsu. While the possession jutsu made it so that the caster went into the mind of the target, the consumption jutsu made it so that the target went into the mind of the caster. Basically, Ryo pulled the minds of Ryo and Kioshi out of their bodies and contained them within his own, almost as if he were 'swallowing' them.

The jutsu was designed to make the bodies of the enemy highly vulnerable by taking the minds from them, allowing the supporting team of the Yamanaka to either kill with leizure or otherwise steal or modify the bodies, whatever the mission called for. At the same time the Yamanaka if mentally strong enough could search the swallowed minds to acquire information from them that could be useful. The risk to the jutsu was the more targets swallowed, the harder it was to contain them, and such a jutsu ran the risk of a weak-willed Yamanaka losing their own mind to the enemy. Maybe even their sanity.

Ryo had gotten out of this with nothing worse than a bad headache, and no secrets learned. But he had won, and that was enough for him.

"Alright, next match?" Sakura called out after the three boys left the arena.

The board flashed a message. 'Final Round, Misao Namikoji vs Naomi Akimichi vs Yugiko Funi.'

"Alright people, last fight of the day. Last three genin, come on down." Sakura announced with some enthusiasm.

The three kunoichis went to the arena floor, facing each other. Yugiko the reborn Nibi, Misao the reborn Rokubi, and Naomi a pudgy but not fat redheaded girl. Misao was a bit pudgy herself, her body a natural collector of fat and not in the ways girls liked, but she wasn't fat herself. More husky if anything. If it weren't for her pink-purple hair and yellow eyes she'd easily pass for an Akimichi herself.

All the girls looked confident, none looked like they thought victory was impossible for themselves.

"Ready? Begin." Sakura stated.

Yugiko quickly flashed some claws on her hands and her whole body became engulfed in blue flames as she grinned. "Who wants to fight me first?"

"How is she doing that?" Kakashi asked himself, having never seen a fire jutsu that allowed someone to become shrouded in fire like that. The Uchiha Susanoo was the closest equivalent, but this girl couldn't possibly do such a jutsu.

"Just her special ability." Akane cryptically answered to protect her cousin's secret. Which was that as the bijuu of fire, Yugiko had a natural ability to combine her body heat with her chakra to create a flame cloak any time she wanted to. Fortunately it never hurt her, for it felts as hot to her as her body heat normally did. But to anyone else, it felt as hot as it looked.

Misao smirked and stepped forward. "You're not so tough. Try this on for size." She took a deep inhale and her cheeks puffed out like she had cantaloupes in both of them, despite the sheer impossibility of her skin stretching that much. She leaned back then quickly leaned forward, spitting out a long spray of what looked like grey-white mucus.

'That's my slug cousin for you, an expert user of slime.' Akane thought to herself, remembering the times she saw Misao use her natural abilities. Misao was a walking slime factory and could use it in ways that both surprised and disgusted most others.

The mucus hit Yugiko and there was a sizzling sound heard, but Yugiko's flame cloak withheld. But of course it was weakened and the blue-black-haired girl was covered in slime. "Great, no way I'm licking myself clean this time." She rued, noting her feline nature on how to clean herself.

Naomi saw this as a good opportunity to attack and cocked a fist. "Body Elongation Right Arm." She threw a punch from where she stood, and to the surprise of many her arm stretched and hit the girl in the stomach before retracting.

The Akimichi were well known for their Body Expansion techniques, which allowed someone to increase the size and mass of all or parts of their bodies. Akimichi were commonly already bulky to minimize the amount of chakra needed for a desired result, as the bigger and heavier you already were the less chakra you needed to increase the amount. But what most people didn't know was that the expansion jutsus were only used by men, as the jutsus required the presence of testosterone to perform properly and regularly.

The female members of the clan instead had their own version of fighting techniques that altered their bodies, ones where estrogen worked better with the chakra than testosterone did. These were the elongation techniques, jutsu that made parts of the body stretch in length without sacrificing mass or strength. In a way one could say it was the only form of long-range taijutsu in the ninja world. Useful for hitting people without getting close to them, useful for reaching for things without triggering traps, and in many women's opinions useful for giving birth by allowing the body to better dilate.

Misao saw this and readied another spat of slime, but Naomi was ready. "Body Elongation Both Arms." She stretched her arms again and put her hands tightly over Misao's mouth, preventing her from spitting anything out. Misao put her hands on the redhead's arms and her palms secreted slime right on her skin, and it started to burn like a weak acid.

Unprepared for that Naomi withdrew her arms and retracted them to normal length, weakening the burns. 'Okay, so her slime isn't by default harmless. She can hurt people with it. But is burning all she can do?'

Yugiko used her fire cloak to dry up and burn off all of the remnant slime on her, and she looked annoyed. Fire gathered at her hands, this fire being darker than the rest, and she started throwing it away from her, creating fireballs. And she didn't stop at just two, as soon as she threw one there was another one ready in the other hand, and after she threw that there was another one in the first hand. She started throwing fireball after fireball without even aiming them.

Misao and Naomi immediately worked on dodging, using whatever skills they had to do so. Only Misao could afford to block by generating a slime shield, but it was difficult to maintain after repeated hits.

Kei, Yugiko's sensei, looked at the girl with concern, but saw nothing to indicate Yugiko was being irrational. No, she looked like she knew exactly what she was doing. 'You're missing so much on purpose aren't you Yugiko-chan? You're testing their abilities. As a cat you just can't resist toying with your prey. I just hope that doesn't prove to be your undoing.'

"Body Elongation Both Legs." Naomi said, turning her legs into basically stilts and allowing her to stand over Yugiko, making the girl look up and slow down her fire storm but not stop. Naomi reared back a leg and tried to kick her, but Yugiko dodged and used her claws to cut into her stretched out shin. Naomi yelled in pain and returned her body to normal while clutching her leg, checking the damage. Luckily her Achilles Tendon wasn't damaged.

Misao was covered in slime but luckily she wasn't burned. She came at Yugiko looking like she wanted to cover the cat girl just as badly. Yugiko fearlessly jumped up and over the slug girl before kicking her down to the floor and pinning her down with a fire-covered leg, boiling the slime covering Misao.

"Free advice cousin, if you want to pounce, be faster than your prey." Yugiko said before holding her claws to the back of Misao's neck to simulate a kill-strike. She looked to Sakura for confirmation on if this was enough.

Sakura decided that was indeed enough, since Misao would be dead now in a real fight and Naomi was too hurt to fight on any further it looked like. "Winner, Yugiko Funi. And with that, the preliminary matches have come to a close."


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter Forty-Eight: Getting Ready For More Training

"Will everyone who won a fight please come down here?" Sakura called out. "Everyone else who didn't win, please stay here. Hokage-sama wishes to tell you all something right after this."

Eight genin, worn from battle, some more than others, came down to the arena. They were Sayo Shichou, Ryo Yamanaka, Mushi Subaku, Ichi, Yugiko Funi, Mida Sudachi, Kirako Yagami, and Akane Uzumaki.

"Wait, are we missing someone?" Sakura asked, remembering there had been nine rounds.

"That would be Noburo-san, still in the ICU." Ichi told her.

"Right, well, someone will have to let him know about this when this meeting is over." Sakura said.

"What meeting?" Yugiko asked.

Naruto showed up, much like he did when the prelims were about to start. "Alright kids, you did really good all of you. And I gotta say a lot of you really surprised me there. While I'm sure that you'd love for these exams to be over, the sad fact is there's one more round left to complete. But you're in luck, you don't have to take it right now."

Several of the genin couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"Before I tell you what we will do, I'll tell you a little more about these exams." Naruto said. "Like I told you earlier, we use these exams as a substitute for war and as a way to draw in potential clients. Can anyone tell me how we draw in clients with these tests?"

Akane raised her hand. "You told us earlier that they watch the final round."

Naruto nodded. "Exactly. The final round is something that pretty much requires an audience for full effect. We invite nobles and dignitaries to witness the fights and see for themselves which village so far shows the most potential. From them we get our clients and missions that keep us busy and paid. As for how it affects you, remember you're fighting for your country's honor and reputation. You all need to fight to the very best of your abilities. Doing anything less, or making it all about you, is immature and not something we want to see in chuunin."

"I'm not saying you can't have fun with it. Go ahead, you should be able to have fun. But please keep it professional. Don't do things like make this more about settling a grudge of some sort, proving superiority over someone, or worst of all showing up late. When I took these exams I had to deal with people doing all three, and none of them got promoted. Granted neither did I, but at least I wasn't using the exams as an excuse to do something wrong and get away with it."

Naruto took a deep breath to get himself back on track. "Anyway, the third round is one just like the fights you've been having today, only with two people instead of three. But fortunately for you, we will hold the third round in one month. Use that one month to prepare for your next fights. Right now you've shown off your skills, so this month would be best used to improve them or learn new ones in order to give yourself the element of surprise back."

The eight genin nodded, already thinking of ways to train hard for the next test.

"But luckily here's some extra help for you all." Naruto added, catching them off guard. They had expected another twist, not help. "So far this entire test has been ways to test your various skills that you bring to missions. Finding where to go, sticking together as a team, avoiding traps, acquiring information and putting it to use, helping your teammates, living off the land, but most importantly of all, fighting someone when you don't already know what to expect of them. Now, the third round here tests one more skill in addition to your personal fighting capabilities. It tests how you handle fighting an opponent when that mystery is gone for both you and your opponent."

Understanding dawned on the genin and Naruto smiled. "Yes, right now you all have an idea on what the others can do and they have an idea on what you can do. Show us what you can do when your secret weapon is no longer a secret. Use this month to prepare wisely. Do not waste it."

The genin looked confident, and Sakura came up to them with a box that had a slot on the lid. "This line-up won't be random. That way you all have a month to know who you're fighting and how to plan accordingly. Everyone one at a time reach in and pull out a number, which we'll use to determine the roster."

"What about Noburo-kun?" Akane asked.

"By default he'll get the odd number out and have his opponent arranged specifically once it's time to. That is if he can fight. If the doctors say otherwise, he'll be pulled from the final round." Sakura told the redhead, who wondered for her teammate. "Everyone, pick a number." Being sympathetic, Sakura let Akane go first.

"Five." Akane said.

"Four." Kirako claimed.

"Seven." Ichi stated.

"Six." Yugiko purred.

"One." Sayo declared.

"Two." Mida shrugged.

"Three." Ryo noted.

"Eight. So close." Mushi moaned.

Sakura wrote down their names on a clipboard. "Okay, that means round one of the finals will be Sayo vs Mida, Ryo vs Kirako, Akane vs Yugiko, and Ichi vs Mushi. Noburo's fight will be included afterwards if he's fit to participate."

'So I'm against the golden girl? Heh, I'll make her rust.' Sayo thought deviously.

'Poison versus whatever mineral I can come up with. This will be a cinch.' Mida thought confidently.

'Your skull may be thick enough to shatter walls Kumo girl, but your mind's as vulnerable as anyone elses.' Ryo told himself.

'I'm glad I finished my match quickly. I'm the one with the fewest secrets revealed so far.' Kirako remembered.

'You're going down Ero-Neko.' Akane thought while giving her cousin a smug look.

'Bring it on Baka-Kitsune.' Yugiko thought as if reading her cousin's mind.

'Another bijuu? I should have stayed in bed.' Ichi complained.

'I'm not making the same mistake they made boy. I'm not turning my back on you in a fight.' Mushi insisted.

"Now remember everyone, this is just the first round." Naruto told them. "If you win your fight, you'll get some time between fights to rest then when it's time you'll fight someone else who won their fight. It's basically just like a tournament where contestants are eliminated until only one remains."

"Wait, does that mean only one of us can become chuunin?" Mida asked, not liking the idea at all.

"No not at all. These exams would just be a waste of time and money if only one promotion was an option. You misunderstood the point of the arrangement." Naruto corrected. "You see, there will be various judges of these fights watching, myself included but not just me. Other kages will come and watch, and right now I'd say the Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Raikage will come for sure. I'll probably invite the Mizukage just to be fair but right now with no Kiri nin in the finals she's got no real reason to arrive other than for the fun of it."

"All these judges will be watching you and evaluating your skills. We're more interested in seeing how you fight than if you win. That tells us more about you than anything else. So the purpose of these rounds is not to win and be the last genin standing, it's to show off what you're capable of. Winning your round just gives you more of a chance to do so. Winning does not guarantee a promotion, and losing does not forbid you from a promotion either. You can still lose your fight and get promoted. Heck, one of my friends forfeited his match and still got promoted because the judges liked what he showed them before he quit."

"So that means there's a chance that all of us could become chuunin?" Mushi asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yes, it's certainly possible. Not likely, but possible. Also it's just as possible that none of you will become chuunin. My advice is fight your best without making yourself look like a jerk in the process. And definitely don't be late. As far as I'm concerned that's an immediate disqualification, I don't care who you are. Any questions?"

Kirako raised a hand. "Yeah, where and when will this be held?"

"In the Konoha Stadium exactly thirty days from now. Don't worry, you shouldn't lose track of it if you stay in the village at least some of the time you're here. Okay everyone, you're dismissed. For the rest of you, please come down here. You eight, this isn't for you to hear."

The eight genin nodded and walked off, with Akane and Ichi remaining close to each other. "We should go check on Noburo-kun and let him know." Ichi nodded.

"While we're there we can discuss what's going to happen to you three over the next month." Hanabi added when she came up to her students. 'I'm so proud of you guys. All three of you made it to the finals. I knew becoming a jounin sensei was a good idea.'

"Aren't you going to keep training us Obasan?" Akane asked.

"Yes, but it's not going to be that easy. I've got something more beneficial in mind than just what we've already been doing, and by making it this far you three have proven you're ready for the next level up in my book." Hanabi answered.

'Somehow I don't think I'm going to like this.' Ichi mentally groaned.

* * *

After Naruto finished wrapping everything up, the genin were led back to the village by the jounin. Along the way, Naruto came up to Akane.

"Good job sweetheart, I'm really proud of you." He said.

"Thanks Otou-san."

"Now you must understand that because of who I am, I cannot give you any form of training for the next month. If I did, it would be considered a form of favoritism and thus disqualify you from any chance at promotion."

Akane nodded. "Yeah, I remember being told that before." She suspected he was saying it now where everyone could hear so no one could say he didn't.

"Good, but it's more than that. This also means you can't get any training from your mother, since she's my assistant, and you can't get any training from your grandmother too since she's a former hokage herself. Heck, if it weren't for the fact that Hanabi already is your sensei, even she wouldn't be allowed to teach you because of her connection to me."

That part Akane was unaware of. "Wait, I can't be helped by anyone who can be traced back to you?"

Naruto nodded. "Not on a personal level. Hanabi's the one exception and even that's pushing it. I've already told people who would put you at risk for disqualification to not train you this month, and given Hanabi permission to choose anyone I haven't warned to assist her and your team. But otherwise, you're pretty much on your own for the month."

Bothered but undaunted, Akane held herself firmly. "Don't worry Otou-san, you won't have to worry about a thing."

"Actually, I will, because it's bigger than that. You see, to ensure this works, for your own good... you can't come home until the month is over." Naruto said sadly.

"What?" Akane said in disbelief, stopping in her tracks. A few others who heard this had similar reactions.

Naruto sadly nodded. "It's a law to ensure the hokage doesn't have influence over the performance of any genin they're the legal guardians of. Even now, if you go home I'd be forced to legally disqualify you. I already sent your mother home to pack up some things for you to get you thru the month. We'll have some time to say goodbye and wish you luck, but after that we can't interact until the final round."

It had pained Naruto and Hinata greatly to learn of that law, but they couldn't change it. Even if they could, they understood the wisdom of the law. It was to ensure the hokage, who was one of the judges of the chuunin exams, couldn't give some genin an unfair advantage over the others. The hokage had to be impartial to all, even if family was involved. If he couldn't, then either he didn't deserve to be hokage or the genin didn't really deserve to be chuunin.

"But... but that's stupid. How can you let this happen?" Akane asked, starting to shed some tears at the thought of going an entire month without seeing her family while still being within Konoha.

Naruto knelt down and pulled her into a hug, one she returned. "Akane-chan, if the Hokage doesn't play by the rules how can he expect the other ninja to? I can't change the entire legal system just to keep it from bothering us. Besides, you want to become chuunin fair and square right? How can anyone believe you did that if you were trained by the hokage? Wouldn't that make everyone, even your friends, think you only got promoted because of me? Not because you earned it?"

Akane was still unhappy, but her tears had stopped falling. "I guess that makes sense. But why didn't you... wait, never mind. If you had told me sooner, it might have disqualified me sooner right?"

"Being the hokage's daughter isn't always fun Akane-chan." Naruto answered, then wiped her eyes. "Now cheer up. We do have to say goodbye for a month, but I see no reason we can't do that at Ichiraku's. Do you?" Akane smiled. "That's my girl."

"Also Naruto, if you have time I'd like to talk to you about a concern of mine." Kakashi interjected, hoping the timing wasn't wrong.

The whiskered blonde look to his former sensei. "Yeah sure, after we're done." Kakashi nodded, knowing his former pupil's daughter needed Naruto's attention first.

* * *

When Akane got to Ichiraku's right away she saw Hinata there with a backpack at her feet and Jiraiya in her arms. Akane darted from Naruto and went to hug her mother, who hugged her as best she could with her son still in her embrace.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner sweetie." Hinata whispered.

"Don't be, I understand why. I'd do the same if I was in your place." Akane told her mom. "At least we have now, and I'm definitely going to become chuunin now to make this month worth it."

Hinata smiled and ruffled Akane's hair a bit. "I'm sure you will dear. After all, the girls in our family get promoted to chuunin before the boys do."

"Hey!" Naruto mock-complained.

Hinata giggled. "You know it's true honey. I became chuunin before you did. Tsunade-sama became chuunin before Jiraiya-sama did." Their son perked a bit at hearing his name, though he didn't know they weren't talking about him. "My mother became chuunin before my father did, and I believe your mother became chuunin first too."

"Then what about you and Neji?" Naruto added, thinking he had just outworded his wife.

Hinata still smiled. "We were promoted in the same exams, but they announced my name first and gave me my vest first so technically I still got promoted before him."

Naruto rolled his eyes while Akane chuckled. "Fine, you win. As always."

"I'm the wife, I'm always going to win dear." Hinata said before giving him a kiss.

"You guys don't really think there's even a chance that Rai-chan could become chuunin before me do you?" Akane asked while she took a seat on a stool. Naruto and Jiraiya right next to her while Hinata sat on the other side of Jiraiya. Because of her large pregnant stomach, nearing the end of her second trimester, she couldn't put her son on her lap now. In a few more weeks she wouldn't even have a lap.

"Not at all. I meant you should be able to become chuunin younger than your father did." Hinata clarified.

"And what if that baby is a girl? Will she become chuunin before Rai-chan does?" Akane added, pointing to Hinata's belly.

"No way." Jiraiya said firmly.

Hinata giggled. "Family tradition says it's very likely."

The family made their orders and soon began to eat. "So Otou-san, who can train me this month?" Akane asked while eating. She had long ago perfected the ability to talk with her mouth full.

Naruto, the one who taught her in the first place, chose to swallow first for the sake of his wife. "Well it can't be me or anyone who works directly for me. Unless they've got a pre-existing legal relationship to you. Like when I was your age, the Sandaime Hokage couldn't train me in anything, but Ero-sennin could. You see, technically Ero-sennin wasn't supposed to, because he was the Sandaime's student and a direct subordinate. But at the same time, he was my legal godfather so he had familial rights to teach me, even though he had never exercised them before. But the biggest factor that allowed him to teach me was the fact that he wasn't assigned to it. The old man couldn't forbid Ero-sennin from teaching me, but he couldn't order him to either."

Akane nodded in understanding.

"The situation's different for you Akane-chan. I was just a kid that the Sandaime had a connection to, I wasn't his legal family. So that's why no one really made a fuss over the legal terms of me being taught by a sannin connected to the hokage. At least not enough that it hurt my chances of being allowed to participate. But with you, the terms are different, so you still can't be trained by baa-chan in this month."

"Where is she by the way?" Akane asked.

"I think she's still treating Noburo." Hinata answered. "Surgery can take quite a while."

"Anyway dear, if you want to know who can train you, I'd go talk to Hanabi." Naruto concluded.

Akane nodded. "Alright, but while I'm gone no messing around with my room." At that Naruto and Hinata shared an amused look while she turned to her brother. "You'll be good while I'm gone right otouto?"

Jiraiya nodded. "You going away again? When you come back?"

"In a couple of weeks. I'll bring you some candy when I get back."

"Yay candy!" Jiraiya happily cheered.

"Wait, where am I going to sleep tonight?" Akane asked her parents.

"Hanabi will take you in tonight and start your training tomorrow. Everything you need is in the backpack." Hinata answered. "We'll miss you dear."

"I'll miss you guys too. But I'll make the wait worth it. I'll kick butt at the exams." Akane declared. "But first, another bowl of ramen please."

"Better enjoy it, because I told Hanabi to not let you have any more until you satisfied her standards this month." Naruto said, making his daughter freeze before her noodles reached her mouth.

Akane then slowly turned to Naruto. "You're kidding right?"

"'Fraid not dear." Both of her parents answered.

The redhead groaned and began to bang her head on the counter, making her parents and the Ichiraku's laugh at her irritation.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter Forty-Nine: Starting The Month Of Training

The next morning Hanabi woke up Akane, who was sleeping on the floor in her room the previous night, and led her out of the Hyuuga compound. "I already told Ichi to meet us at the hospital. Once we're there we'll hear how Noburo's doing and I'll tell you three what I have in mind for you all for the month."

Akane didn't like being at the hospital, partly because of the many scents of medicine in the air combined with Naruto's bad memories of the place, but she ignored that completely for Noburo's sake.

When they got there Akane saw two men in the lobby get up and approach. "Hi Hanabi-chan."

"Hi Kin'ichiro, Ayumu. Thanks for doing this by the way." Hanabi greeted.

"No problem. What are teammates for?" One of the men replied.

Akane got a better look at the men. One wore a jounin outfit much like Kakashi, only the clothes under the vest were a grey-purple mix rather than blue or black. His eyes were brown and his hair was black combed in a normal style. Nothing about the guy stood out in particular. The other guy was a bit taller and had purple hair that reminded Akane of Masa, only shorter. He wore a dark blue short-sleeve shirt with a white V design on the front, dark brown pants, and most noticeably he wore an eyepatch over his left eye.

"Akane-chan, these are Kin'ichiro Rekoji and Ayumu Shikitomo, my teammates back from when I was a genin." Hanabi introduced. "Guys, this is Akane Uzumaki, my student and niece."

"Ah, the little troublemaker?" The one with the eyepatch now identified as Ayumu said jestfully. "I heard you once drugged Hokage-sama himself. Is that true?"

Akane looked uncomfortable at the not-so-subtle accusation. "Not intentionally. It was more luck of the draw than anything else he got the tampered sake."

"Still, that took guts. What was the punishment?" Ayumu asked.

Akane looked away. "Being forced to endure the training of Maito Gai for a day."

Both men whistled. "Oh, that is bad. I've seen the guy make his students walk on needles on their hands."

"He's not a bad guy, he just... sets the bar for training a bit high." Hanabi defended. Looking behind her she saw Ichi show up with Dansue accompanying him. "Glad to see you show up Ichi." She repeated the introduction to her other student, but he didn't really have anything to say to him.

"I'd like to help teach him during this month." Dansue offered.

"I expected that." Hanabi said simply before leading the group to Noburo's room.

They got there and saw he was awake and drawing to pass the time.

"Hi Noburo-kun." Akane said to break the ice.

The blue-haired boy saw his visitors. "Akane-chan, Ichi, Sensei, thanks for showing up. Am I still in the exams?"

"Assuming you can get out of here in time and back on your feet ready to fight, then yes." Hanabi answered. "Anyway, time to discuss training for this month."

"Why include me? I can't exactly train while I'm in here." Noburo complained.

"Yes you can Noburo. There's more to training than just exercise after all." Hanabi told her student. "This is what we're going to do. Training will be done in a rotation pattern with one week intervals. I will teach taijutsu and other things, Kin'ichiro will teach ninjutsu and chakra exercises, and Ayumu will teach strategy and problem-solving. Once each week is over the three of us will switch to a different one of you kids, and in the last week we'll cover whichever field you three need the most help in."

'Seems fair.' The members of Team Three thought.

"Ayumu will start with Noburo, this way Noburo's training in something he doesn't have to be so active for right away. Hopefully by next week that will be different." Hanabi said, getting the blue-haired boy to nod. "I'll take Ichi for this week, and Akane-chan, that leaves you with Kin'ichiro. Next week we'll rotate."

"Then we might as well start. Girl, you're coming with me." The ordinary-looking man told Akane, gesturing for them to leave.

Akane shifted her gaze between Kin'ichiro and Noburo, as if not sure which one she was supposed to be with right then. "Um... guess I'll see you later then Noburo-kun. I hope you feel better in time."

"Me too, and if you can, prank that girl for me." Noburo added.

Akane smiled. "Sorry, I don't prank family. Not on purpose anyway. But who knows, maybe you'll get lucky." With that she left with Kin'ichiro.

Walking down the hall she missed Kakashi passing by carrying a manilla folder.

* * *

In his office Naruto was working with some clones to get some paperwork done. Hinata was home spending some time with their son, since both parents were a bit uncomfortable with the fact that neither could interact with Akane until after the exams ended. Both needed something else to think about right then.

A knock was at the door, and a clone answered it, showing Kakashi there. "Hi Sensei." The real Naruto greeted.

"Hi Naruto. Listen, I've got something you need to see. Something important regarding my current student Sayo Shichou."

Naruto put down his pen. "What's that?"

"As you recall she shouldn't possess a sharingan, yet somehow she does. Family records confirm that none of her ancestors were Uchiha, and one of her clan members told me even if she did have an Uchiha ancestor it would be highly unlikely for her to still have the doujutsu." Kakashi started.

"Why is that?" Naruto asked.

"Allow me to explain a little about how the Shichou bloodline works first." Kakashi said for Naruto's sake since the only person from that clan Naruto had any significant interaction with outside of meetings was Shizune, and technically Shizune wasn't even considered an official member since her legal guardian as a child had been her uncle Dan Kato, brother to her father who wasn't a member of the clan. Her mother however had been.

"As you're aware, the kekkei genkai of the Shichou clan is their poisonous blood and toxin immunity. They carry several kinds of poisons in their blood, which makes their blood and other bodily fluids toxic, and due to the nature of that biology attempting to poison them is as useless as trying to burn ashes. However, there's a certain condition that has to be met in all this."

"A condition for a bloodline?" Naruto asked. "You mean like how someone with a sharingan has to experience certain situations to advance it?"

"Sort of." The cycloptic jounin answered. "A Shichou can naturally have a high tolerance for poisons, but to have a poisonous body and the poison jutsu that come with it, one has to be born a specific way. To be more specific, the kekkei genkai is inherited only from the mother, not the father. This is vital because the womb is toxic too in a Shichou woman, though not as toxic but still filled with venom. A developing fetus there, if it can survive, will inherit the poison bloodline of the clan and will become as poisonous as the mother. Of course the father can't provide this same scenario."

"Naturally." Naruto agreed with a nod.

"Now, because Sayo does possess the bloodline, that confirms that her mother is a member of the Shichou. Which means that the only person she could have inherited the sharingan from-" Kakashi added.

"Is her father." Naruto finished. Kakashi nodded. "So have you found anything conclusive?"

"I went to the mother first. She tells me her husband was another Shichou like herself. Unfortunately he died in the Oto-Suna inavsion when Sayo was only two years old. So we couldn't really confirm anything on that end. However, Sayo's mom provided me with some interesting information."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"It turns out the two were having trouble conceiving, so they went for fertility treatments at the hospital. Part of that required Sayo's father giving a sperm sample. So I went to hospital and had them check the records to see if they had a copy of his genetic info. Fortunately they did, but that's where things get weird." Kakashi continued, then placed the folder on Naruto's desk. "Naturally for this to work, we needed a record of Sayo's DNA too."

"Of course." Naruto said. He didn't reach for the folder since he was sure Kakashi would rather tell him the contents.

"Well, there is a margin of error, but according to the comparison, Sayo's father... isn't her father. Not biologically speaking anyway." Kakashi revealed.

"How is that possible?" Naruto asked, then checked the charts. He didn't really understand them, but they were charts of genetic markers for Sayo and her deceased father. According to what was marked down, they didn't line up meaning their was no genetic relation between the two individuals.

"The way I see it, there are two possible explanations here. Either the records are wrong and Sayo's father really was somehow genetically related to the Uchiha and this is just one big genetic coincidence, or..." Kakashi started.

Naruto was uncomfortable by his hesitation to say more. "Or?"

"Or else someone at the hospital switched sperm samples and therefore Sayo is the genetic daughter of a true Uchiha rather than the man her mother married." Kakashi revealed.

Naruto leaned back in his chair. "For Sayo to be two years old when the Oto-Suna invasion happened, she'd have to have been conceived roughly three years before, give or take a couple of months. That's still too late when you take into account the Uchiha Massacre." Kakashi nodded. "So then if there were no Uchiha in the village at the time capable of providing sperm, how could such a scenario even take place?"

"This is just a theory and even I admit it's a great longshot, but consider this." Kakashi suggested. "Now, as we've learned the Massacre wasn't a spontaneous event, it was set up by the elders of Konoha in an attempt to prevent a brewing civil war. And after it finished, Sasuke was the only one left, meaning the future of the clan was entirely dependent on him right?"

Naruto nodded, remembering how he felt when he learned Itachi was acting only on orders. He felt a lot of remorse for his now-deceased teammate, but ultimately it didn't change things between them. Especially when Sasuke kept looking for enemies to kill rather than restore his clan. To Naruto that showed that Sasuke valued his bloodlust more than his clan.

"Now, it's possible that the elders at the time didn't like the idea of putting all their eggs in one basket. Meaning that they weren't going to risk having one child be the only possible means of rebuilding the clan in a better image." Kakashi continued.

"Especially since Sasuke was so traumatized by the event." Naruto interjected.

"Yes." Kakashi nodded. "So they had to have suspected he might someday do something that would jeopardize the long-term plan, so what if they decided to have back-ups who could do the job in case Sasuke couldn't?"

Naruto thought it over. "That would require someone else to have the sharingan, but not be aware of it so they'd be safer and not as much a target as Sasuke would have been."

"Indeed. Not to mention that if Sasuke had revived his clan, if those other people were unaware of their own sharingans they could be effectively eliminated as to prevent such a scandal from surfacing, thus ensuring that the elders were never exposed in their designs."

"But still, that doesn't explain where they'd get sperm from." Naruto reminded his former sensei.

"Maybe some Uchiha weren't killed in the Massacre after all, but were taken away and kept alive long enough to get sperm and egg from." Kakashi suggested. "Or maybe before the Massacre some Uchiha preserved sperm and egg and some ninja under orders pilfered those samples for private use."

"So then what? The elders, or most likely Danzou since this is starting to sound like something he'd come up with, just waited for someone with fertility problems to come along so they could substitute Uchiha DNA in and get kids with sharingans?" Naruto asked.

"I know it seems unlikely, but when you look at the records showing Sayo's genetic markers it's possible that her conception was tampered with. And she's probably not the only one in Konoha who secretly has a sharingan, she's just the first to show it."

Naruto then looked at the folder. There were three bars at the top of the first page, mostly grey with several scattered black segments going across. The top one was labelled as Sayo's DNA with the other two labelled as her parents. Lines in red ink were added to show that Sayo's DNA markers matched that of her mothers but not her fathers, which gave Kakashi's claim credibility.

"So if Sayo's half-Uchiha and this is because of some secret plan from years ago to keep the sharingan alive with or without Sasuke's help, what does that mean for her?" Naruto asked.

"In the long run it could mean a lot regarding her position in the Shichou clan and whether or not she's the rightful heir to the unclaimed Uchiha property. But in the immediate sense, I think this knowledge will bother her more than anything."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, being told the man you thought of as your father might not be because of some old man tampering with your conception would impact her in a negative way." He then sighed. "I don't even want to imagine how the council will react to this."

"So what are you going to do?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto set his head down. "I'll have to think about that. I'll get back to you when I've got something."

Kakashi nodded. "See you later Naruto."

"By the way Kakashi, since I'm sure the thought has already crossed your mind, I'd appreciate it if you informed me before you tried teaching Sayo the chidori." Naruto added before the cycloptic jounin left his office.

"What, you think Sayo might try to use it on your daughter someday?"

"No, but I have concerns about a genin learning an assassination jutsu. Especially when her fighting style already is lethal enough."

"True, but considering that her opponent in the first portion of the finals uses an earth-based kekkei genkai a lightning jutsu would give her an advantage." Kakashi pointed out.

Naruto just looked at his former sensei, sensing that the man had pretty much already planned on teaching Sayo this jutsu. "Tell you what Sensei, I won't forbid you from teaching her, but I don't want this training to take an entire month. I know for a fact that when you taught Sasuke you had more than enough time left over to spare for either me or Sakura. Don't make that mistake again."

Kakashi nodded. 'As I thought, even though he's forgiven me for my past negligence he hasn't forgotten it. Naruto hasn't held any of the past insults people gave him against them, and that's one of the things most working in his favor with him being Hokage, but he's not going to just let people keep doing it, even if he's not the one being insulted now.'

"Take care Naruto." Kakashi said as he turned to leave. When he opened the door he saw Hinata on the other side looking like she was just about to open it herself and come in. "He's all yours now." Kakashi told her with a grin before departing.

"Hi honey." Naruto greeted when his wife entered. Standing by her was their son.

"Touchan!" Jiraiya yelled eagerly as he ran to his father and jumped on his lap.

"Whoa, careful boy, you're not as light as you used to be."

"Touchan, when Neechan coming home?" The young boy asked while his mother joined his father on his side of the desk.

Naruto giggled. "We told you yesterday remember? Not until after her big show in thirty days." As a three year old Jiraiya didn't have the best concept of time so telling him a month might as well have been telling him a year.

"But that's too long." Jiraiya whined.

"It'll be over before you know it." Hinata told him, ruffing up his hair a bit.

"Yeah that's what we keep telling ourselves." Naruto said to his wife, who slowly nodded.

"What's Neechan doing now anyway?" Jiraiya curiously asked.

Naruto smirked. "Probably wishing we hadn't banned her from ramen right now."

* * *

Akane was currently in a forest atop the Hokage Monument but away from the monument itself, on the edge of a clearing where the landscape was uneven and rough. It wasn't anyplace new to her, but Kin'ichiro had insisted on making her hike up the long route while carrying all her supplies in a pack rather than a sealing scroll. So she was actually a little winded once she got there.

Kin'ichiro stopped by a small pond that was at the base of a small butte. "This seems like a good place to stop." Akane sighed and let her pack down. "What do you say we take a small break before training?"

"What do you plan to teach me anyway?" Akane asked. "I already know several ninjutsu and there's no need to determine my affinity."

"Oh don't worry about that. Here, I got something for you." Kin'ichiro told her, unsealing a ready bowl of ramen.

Akane stiffened. "Really? But I thought I wasn't allowed any during this month."

"Surely one bowl won't hurt. Here, have it." The jounin offered, holding out the bowl and some chopsticks.

Smiling, Akane came up and tried to take it. But before she could grab either, Kin'ichiro disappeared to right behind her with a shunshin. "What the...?" Akane asked, caught off guard. Turning around she saw Kin'ichiro standing as if nothing happened, but there were some noodles coming out of his mouth, which he soon slurped.

"Here, go on and take it." He repeated, still holding the bowl and chopsticks out.

Cautious, Akane tried again, but then the ground underneath her caved and created a pit which she fell into. "Ow!" she said, rubbing her hurt butt at the bottom. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just trying to offer you some of your favorite food." Kin'ichiro told her, his voice echoing a bit since the pit was easily six meters deep and two meters in diameter. Akane could see he was subtly eating more of the ramen in front of her.

'Okay, he's toying with me, but why?' Akane told herself. 'Is this some kind of exercise where I'm supposed to get the bowl from him before he finishes it? In that case, he's messing with the wrong girl.' She hid her hands and did some signs. "Earth Style Hidden in the Earth Jutsu." Suddenly she sank into the ground and disappeared.

Kin'ichiro didn't look bothered by this and continued to eat the ramen. The feet under him rumbled and Akane burst thru with an uppercut, but the image of the jounin faded. 'A genjutsu?' Akane asked. 'So where is he?' She sniffed around and caught multiple scents of ramen upwind. 'Obviously a trick, and for all I know he's actually downwind using false scents to deceive me. Too bad for him I can look everywhere at once without using a byakugan.'

Akane then created a hoard of shadow clones and had them spread out everywhere, but the original stayed where she was. 'Can't ignore the possibility that he's still here. After all, if he really wants to keep me away long enough, then the best way to do that would be to send me on a false trail while he's hiding here. But where could he hide that I wouldn't think to... look.' She mentally groaned then looked down. 'Of course.'

Down at the bottom of the pit was Kin'ichiro, finishing the bowl of ramen. "Looks like I win this round." He did some kind of jutsu Akane couldn't identify and rose from the pit as it was filled in.

Akane cancelled her clone jutsu since it was now pointless. "What exactly were you trying to accomplish?"

"That's just how I'm going to be testing you this week. When you can take the ramen from me, a jounin, I'll believe you know enough to be a chuunin." The normal-looking man told the redhead girl.

"So you're plan is to use ramen for a bait-and-switch with me? Big mistake pal." Akane semi-threatened.

"You talk big, but you didn't get it from me. And you won't get it from me tomorrow either. But if you want something that might make it easier, let's start with a jutsu." Kin'ichiro offered. "Considering who your opponent in the finals is, let's start with an anti-fire jutsu. But water's too cliche, let's try something less predictable."

Akane grinned. "Now you're speaking my language."


End file.
